No sign yet of truce in SP as feuding Yadavs refuse to relent

Feuds in political families happen all the time. We saw that in Andhra Pradesh years ago after NT Rama Rao died and his immediate family laid claim to his legacy. But NTR’s son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu outfoxed them all and became the Telugu Desam Party’s supremo. In Tamil Nadu, a tussle between brothers MK Alagiri and MK Stalin resulted in bad blood, with father M Karunanidhi putting his weight behind Stalin and anointing him the DMK’s working president. In Tamil Nadu too, a different family confrontation happened decades ago after MG Ramachandran died. MGR’s family led by his wife did everything it could to keep the outsider J Jayalalithaa away. The family’s combined might failed and Jayalalithaa secured control of both the AIADMK and MGR’s legacy. But the Yadav family fight in Uttar Pradesh is in a different league. Here the son is pitted against his father. And uncles, nephews, cousins etc have aligned themselves to one of the two factions. The battle for Mulayam Singh Yadav’s legacy is happening in the veteran politician’s lifetime. Half-hearted attempts at reconciliation have failed; every time a step is taken forward, two steps are taken back. As things stand, the Samajwadi Party stands split, even if not formally. A united party does not haggle over the right to an election symbol, over a national president, over a State chief. The Yadav confrontation shows that politics is dirty business. Blood may be thicker than water, but politics is even thicker. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav grew up under the loving care of his uncle Shivpal Yadav; the father was busy setting up the party. The ‘outsider’ Amar Singh made cameo appearances in the family and by all accounts treated the young Akhilesh with love and care. The affection was reciprocated. But things changed after Akhilesh Yadav entered politics. They really changed when he became the Chief Minister. Suddenly the experienced Shivpal Yadav, and Amar Singh who had by then been shown the door from the Samajwadi Party, became problematic. Akhilesh wanted to be the supreme controller; uncle Shivpal was unhappy at being sidelined and even felt betrayed. Shivpal never wanted Akhilesh in the Chief Minister’s chair; he would have much preferred Mulayam Singh Yadav. But the senior Yadav believed the son’s time had come. Less than five years down the year and with the next Assembly election fast approaching, the father had a change of heart. Like Shivpal, he too began to wonder if he had blundered in promoting Akhilesh. Once the family fight broke out in the open, Mulayam Singh Yadav stopped disguising his doubts. He openly stated that it had been a mistake and that Akhilesh could not secure victory for the party. But the realisation came late. By then Akhilesh Yadav, much to his rivals’ amazement and supporters’ pleasant surprise, had emerged as the darling of the majority of the party MLAs, MLCs and even ground-level workers. With the help of another uncle, Ramgopal Yadav, the young politician participated in a party convention which engineered a coup: It ousted Mulayam Singh Yadav as party president and Shivpal Yadav as State party chief. The ruthlessness shocked the Mulayam camp. None had thought that the Chief Minister who held his father in awe, who deeply respected his uncle Shivpal (who doted on his nephew in return) could deliver such a humiliating blow. The blood relationship fell by the wayside in the tussle for control of the party. Akhilesh Yadav too had not indicated, even after the crisis broke out in the open some four months ago, that he would go to the extreme. He was willing to strike but not to wound. This led political analysts to conclude that bout the country was spell-bound by, was actually fixed: Noora kushti. But once Akhilesh began to bite and the wounds were seen, opinion changed. Does all of this mean the family is split for good? Not necessarily. If the father and son somehow politically unite before polling begins, there is some hope. Still, it may be too late. Confusion among the cadre is all-prevalent and will not go away with an understanding at the top. Besides, the knot of distrust in the relationship – both personal and political – will remain. Let’s also not forget that the confrontation hasn’t ended. The Election Commission of India’s decision on the ‘cycle’ symbol will trigger a fresh bout of acrimony. No major fighter has backed off yet and none is showing the slightest indication of doing so. It appears that the do-or-die stage has been reached. No outsider who enjoys the confidence of both the camps and can bring about a lasting settlement is in sight. Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs and views of ABP News Network Pvt Ltd.