dailyO
Politics

Yadav family is the architect of its own downfall

Advertisement
Javed M Ansari
Javed M AnsariOct 24, 2016 | 20:09

Yadav family is the architect of its own downfall

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav might have managed to affect some kind of truce in his party, but given the unrelenting internecine warfare in the party for the past several months, the damage has already been done.

The truce may at best be temporary, and given the extent of the trust deficit in the party, and the mutual dislike between Akhilesh Yadav and uncle Shivpal, it's difficult to imagine how they can continue to be a part of the same political outfit for too long.

Advertisement

The current spate of infighting could not have come at a more inopportune time for the party. With just months to go for the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, SP should have been fighting rivals, and not fighting bush fires within its own ranks. All the other parties have already hit the campaign trail, while the SP is still to get its house in order.

Make no mistake, there is nobody to blame for the mess that the party finds itself in but itself. The SP is the architect of its own downfall. The vaulting ambitions of its leaders and their inability to put party before their own petty political ends has now brought the party to the brink of a split.

The Yadav family is vertically split — with Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav on one side, and Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav on the other. The rest of the assortment of uncles and cousins are wating to see who the odds favour before deciding their next move.

mulayamshivbd_102416074034.jpg
The Yadav family is vertically split — with Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav (in pic) on one side, and Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav on the other. (Photo: PTI)

It is not as if the faultlines in the party are a recent development, they have been there for ages, but till now Mulayam Singh Yadav used to assert his authority and make his warring family members reconcile their differences. However, now, it's proving difficult for him to keep his flock together. The challenge before Mulayam is much tougher than it has ever been.

Advertisement

Irrespective of whether the SP stays together or splits, the ground has shifted from under its feet. The blame for this must lie with the current SP leadership and the Yadav family. They are, indeed, the architects of their own downfall.

 
 Watch: Ugly scenes at SP meet as Shivpal snatches mic from Akhilesh

Last updated: October 26, 2016 | 13:44
IN THIS STORY
Please log in
I agree with DailyO's privacy policy