Mulayam my political guru but surrounded by 'evil forces': Ram Gopal Yadav

LUCKNOW: Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav on Sunday said he was shocked to see the reasons given for expelling him from the Samajwadi Party. He said he was not shocked at the action taken against him but hurt by the allegations levelled at him and his family members. "Mulayam not only my elder brother but political guru as well but currently he is surrounded by evil forces," he said. Reacting to his expulsion, Ram Gopal Yadav, who is in Mumbai, said the allegation that he had colluded with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to weaken the Samajwadi Party was baseless. "In public life one meets people from other parties too. Even the Prime Minister was invited by Mulayam Singh Yadav for a family wedding. So if I met some BJP leaders, why draw political meaning?" he asked. He said no CBI probe was on against his son or anyone in his family. Samajwadi Party General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav was sacked from all party posts and expelled from the party for six years by Mulayam Singh on Sunday evening. The decision was announced by Uttar Pradesh unit chief Shivpal Singh, who read out from a prepared text which alleged that Ram Gopal behaved as a dictator in the party and always conspired against the family. It was also claimed that he never cared for party stalwarts like the late Janeshwar Mishra and only worked in self-interest. Ram Gopal Yadav had on Sunday written a letter to party workers asking them to support Akhilesh Yadav, saying he alone could lead the party to a victory in the coming assembly elections. He also obliquely hinted that people like Shivpal Yadav who were against the Chief Minister were corrupt and without character.