Thaindian News

Lucknow, Jan 5 (IANS) Barely a day after contradicting Samajawadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son Akhilesh Yadav, party spokesman Mohan Singh was Thursday removed from his post.

Mulayam Singh named his cousin and party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav as Singh’s replacement.

The change comes barely a day after Mohan Singh contradicted Akhilesh Yadav over the proposed induction of mafia don-turned-politician D.P. Yadav into the party-fold.

Even as Akhilesh Yadav had made it loud and clear before media persons that someone like D.P. Yadav would not be acceptable to him, Mohan Singh went about suggesting that he was not competent to take a final call on the issue.

“What the state president (Akhilesh) has said with regard to D.P. Yadav could be his view, but the final decision on the issues will be taken by the party’s national president (Mulayam),” Mohan Singh told TV channels in New Delhi Wednesday.

The statement kicked up a storm in party circles as party veteran Mohan Singh’s view was seen as defiance of Akhilesh Yadav’s authority.

Akhilesh Yadav had opposed the move to bring D.P. Yadav into the party as it would jeopardise all his efforts to re-cast the image of the Samajwadi Party, that had taken a beating at the last state assembly election on account of its blatant soft corner for outlaws or tainted politicians.

“We will not allow any person tainted with a criminal background to occupy any prominent position in the party and certainly not as a candidate for the next assembly election,” he told reporters.

Party insiders claimed that Akhilesh Yadav’s stand was taken well by several party leaders including Mulayam Singh’s younger brother Shivpal Yadav, who was also another national general secretary of the party.