Saifai: The festival of light seems to have dispelled the darkness of misgivings within the first family of Samajwadi Party as all members of first Yadav family gathered at the residence of Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday morning presenting a united face.
This is for first time in the last one year that all the senior members of the family had assembled at the ancestral house in Saifai. Party's national president Akhilesh Yadav touched the feet of Mulayam Singh Yadav and then his `chacha' Shivpal Singh Yadav as the onlookers and villagers shouted Samajwadi Party zindabad.
Last week Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav were seen together at a function held at Lohia Park in Lucknow but at that time Shivpal Singh Yadav skipped that function.
The occasion seems to be celebration of Diwali, but this event in Saifai has a political overtone. Of late there were indications of thaw in relations between the members of Yadav family, but the way Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal skipped National Executive meeting held early this month in Agra gave indications that some bad blood still persists between the members of the family.
The only omission in today's get together was Prof Ram Gopal Yadav who was in Etawah but did not come to Mulayam's house in Saifai. Other brothers of Mulayam Singh Yadav like Abhay Ram and Rajpal Yadav were also present. Darshan Singh Yadav, the pradhan of Saifai and trusted lieutenant of Mulayam Singh Yadav was also present there.
Interestingly, on Wednesday Mulayam Singh Yadav had an hour long meeting with Ram Gopal Yadav at his residence in Etawah. What transpired between two is not known but the way senior members reached Mulayam Singh's house in the morning shows that the meeting was cordial and fruitful.
Mulayam Singh Yadav later said that all the members of the family are one. Today all the members of my family have assembled here. This proves that we are united.
However, once even Mulay commented that it seems that it is a festival of Holi and not Diwali as all the differences within the family have been resolved. Shivpal Singh Yadav too claimed that the Yadav family is united. "The yadav family celebrates Diwali together and that's what we are doing," he said.
In the on-going family feud it is Shivpal Singh Yadav who stands isolated in the party and family after Mulayam Singh Yadav had shown sign of building bridges with his son. After Akhilesh was nominated as National president of the party Shivpal had congratulated him saying in a tweet that party will prosper under his leadership. But when he was left out of the national executive committee he had said that Akhilesh is a national president it is his prerogative to constitute the body. This statement sends a signal loud and clear that he has reconciled to the fact that Akhilesh Yadav is that national President of the party. UNI
