Amid ongoing war over ‘cycle’ symbol, Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday said that the Samajwadi Party will not be allowed to split.
Mulayam made these remarks while addressing party workers at the SP headquarters in Lucknow. “I founded SP during Emergency days when Akhilesh Yadav was two years old,” said Mulayam, flanked by brother Shivpal Yadav.
“Na hum alag party bana rahe hain, na symbol badal rahe hain. Vo dusri party bana rahe hain. (Neither are we forming a separate party nor are we changing our symbol. They (opposite group) are making another party).”
The fight within the Samajwadi Party has refused to subside with the current stalemate between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam over the post of the party president failing to reach a conclusion on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission fixed January 13 as the date of hearing both the Samajwadi Party factions, led by Mulayam and by Akhilesh, to settle the dispute over control of the party and its election symbol, ‘cycle’. Notices have been sent to both factions for the January 13 hearing.
The commission wants to settle the matter before January 17 when the process of nomination begins for the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh, which will be held on February 11.
While the Akhilesh camp has submitted affidavits signed by SP MPs, MLAs, MLCs and delegates supporting the chief minister, the other side has maintained that as per the party’s constitution, Mulayam was still the party chief.
The Mulayam-led faction claims that the affidavits submitted by the Akhilesh camp have been forged and that the poll panel should get them verified before proceeding.
Source: dnaindia.com