Mulayam Singh vs Akhilesh Yadav: Samajwadi Party supremo sacks Ram Gopal Yadav from party

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh’s ruling Samajwadi Party on Sunday appeared headed for a split as Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav ousted uncle Shivpal Yadav and three others from the government while the party brass sacked his backer and MP Ram Gopal Yadav from the party in an intensifying dynastic power struggle ahead of next year’s election. Major developments:

• Insiders say Mulayam Singh was very hurt over the day's developments

• Emerging after an 'emergency' meeting with party leaders, Mulayam Singh said he would speak up tomorrow only after meeting all legislators, former MLAs and senior party colleagues.

• Mulayam Singh gets emotional during party meeting, talks to Ajit Singh over phone about the ongoing family feud.

• Mulayam Singh not only my elder brother but political guru as well. He is surrounded by evil forces: Ram Gopal Yadav

• Mulayam Singh calls for a meeting with the senior party leaders, today

• Reason of feud is still not known, I don't believe in any accusation made on Ram Gopal: Naresh Agarwal (SP) on Ram Gopal's suspension

• It's CM's prerogative, he did what he thought was correct; not right to question it: Suspended SP Min Sayeda Shadab Fatima on her suspension

• Ram Gopal Yadav had always behaved like a dictator and had now connived with "communal forces" to destabilize and weaken the SP.

• Ram Gopal hatching a conspiracy against Samajwadi Party. He has been conspiring against me and involved with BJP to save his son: Shivpal said in a press conference.

• Ram Gopal betrayed us to save his son and daughter-in-law from a CBI case, he tried to tarnish party's image: Shivpal

• He is involved with corrupt people, Ram Gopal has always misused name of Netaji; had raised this issue at various party forums: Shivpal

• Shivpal Yadav made the announcement after meeting Mulayam Singh, shortly after being thrown out of the government by his estranged nephew and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

• UP CM Akhilesh Yadav must understand who is with him and who is not: Shivpal Singh

• He also said that when the earlier BSP government hounded the SP workers, Ram Gopal Yadav never came to their aid.

• Ram Gopal Yadav was also sacked from all party posts, state party chief Shivpal Singh Yadav told the media, adding the action had been ordered by party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav

• Some senior leaders of the party have connived with the BJP under CBI pressure to destabilize the party: Shivpal Yadav

• The Samajwadi Party will contest the Uttar Pradesh elections under the leadership of its leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, sacked cabinet minister Shivpal Singh Yadav.

• Sacked SP minister Shivpal Yadav addresses a press conference

• Azam Khan: It is happening due to one single outsider who has penetrated into the ruling party s family and I have been apprising my colleagues about his detrimental presence in the party. Had a serious and severe action been taken, the damage could have been averted.

• "The CM has sacked Shivpal Yadav from his Cabinet. Some more pro-Amar Singh ministers are likely to be dropped," party sources said.

• Akhilesh Yadav sacked Shivpal Singh Yadav from his Cabinet

• However, Akhilesh Yadav ruled out any move to split the Samajwadi Party even as he called himself the rightful successor to his father and party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav

• Shivpal is also close to Amar Singh, who was sacked in 2010 together with Jaya Prada. Amar Singh was taken back last year and given a Rajya Sabha seat.

• Akhilesh targeted Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh for the first time, calling him a "dalal" who is out to break his family as well as the Samajwadi Party

• The Samajwadi chief had on Saturday expelled Udayveer Singh, a lawmaker considered one of Akhilesh's closest aides, from the party for ”undignified” conduct after Udayveer suggested that Akhilesh should also be made the party's national president.

• Shivpal had suspended eight Akhilesh loyalists, including four MLCs, on September 19. He has also suspended several leaders of the party's youth wings.

  The trouble in SP hit a new low this morning with the chief minister convening a meeting of party legislators here and recommending to Governor Ram Naik that Shivpal, Narad Rai and Om Prakash Singh (all Cabinet ministers) and Sayeda Shadab Fatima (MoS - Independent charge) be sacked from his ministry. A Raj Bhawan communique said the recommendation was accepted with immediate effect. Following the extreme action against supporters of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, the Mulayam-camp followers got into a huddle at the residence of the SP supremo at a stone's throw distance from the CM's bungalow to decide the next course of action. The fast-paced developments came a day ahead of a mega meeting of party MPs, MLAs, MLCs and ministers convened by Mulayam where some tough decisions are likely to be taken. Today's actions stirred the political circles ahead of the Assembly polls in the state early next year as the tense stand-off between Akhilesh and Shivpal gave rise to intense speculation about a possible split in SP. Some SP leaders even suggested that a new party named National Samajwadi Party or Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party with motorcycle as its symbol could be launched by the Chief Minister. (with inputs from agencies)