The most populous State is paying price for this family drama as the Samajwadi Party Government has almost sunk deep into the corruption, nepotism, appeasement of Muslims and last but not the least chaos and lawlessness
Raj Bahadur Singh from Lucknow
As the politically most crucial state is slowly but surely approaching towards next mandate, the ruling Samajwadi Party has transformed the governance into a mockery treating the Constitution as a childhood game of dolls. Though the mockeries of Constitutional provisions were unabated ever since the Yadav clan assumed power in March 2012, the same has touched its nadir in recent past. The authority of Chief Minister has been reduced almost to a naught and while all this went on, the custodian of Constitution gubernatorial office remained helpless as the architects of Constitution never anticipated such sorry state of affairs will erupt one day.
The sordid saga started with the ouster of Mining Minister Gaytri Prajapati and Minor Irrigation Minister
Raj kishore Singh. Prajapati a first time MLA from Amethi assembly seat only acquired notoriety and wealth and got
surrounded by enumerable charges of corruption. A blue eyed boy of Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav, Prajapati was never liked by the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and it is a known secret that even both used to accuse each other privately. It is no secret either that Prajapati is closely associated with Mulayam Singh Yadav’s second son Prateek in land business. He is believed to have got all out backing of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s wife Sadhna also.
Infact the infighting in Yadav clan is a battle between a son and step mother and rest players have only used this opportunity to enhance their prospects or settle scores with their rivals. The ouster of Prajapati infuriated Sadhna and Prateek lobby who persuaded Mulayam Singh Yadav to intervene and forced him to revert the decision of Chief Minister. Much to the agony of Chief Minister, the Father supremo ridiculed his own son and announced the return of Prajapati to the Cabinet and it turned into reality on September 26. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav tried to
exercise his authority but soon was shown the place as he had to return all but one of Shivpal Yadav’s portfolios which he took back as a retaliatory move after he was removed from the post of state chief of the Samajwadi Party.
What more shocking and humiliating for Chief Minister was the expulsion of his staunch supporters including three MLCs and few others who only raised slogans expressing solidarity with Chief Minister but were branded as indulging in anti party activities. Meanwhile Shivpal Yadav who replaced Akhilesh as State Party Chief cracked whip on close relative of Samajwadi Party National General Secretary Ramgopal Yadav which was opposed by his son Akshya Pratap Yadav, MP from Firozabad. Now both Akhilesh and Ramgopal supposedly close to each other are pleading openly to get their supporters back into the party but only in vain till the moment
The Cabinet expansion, the eighth of Akhilesh Yadav Government on September 26, was yet another pointer to the mockery of democracy. Gayatri Prajapati was not the only one to be inducted again thus eroding whatever was left of Chief Minister’s image but others as well. A few months back two Cabinet Ministers Shivakant Ojha and Manoj Pandey were dismissed by Chief Minister and
reasons for their ouster were never made public. Both returned to Council of Ministers on September 26. Earlier also Vinod Singh alias Pandit Singh was dropped from the council of minister following the charges of abducting the Chief Medical Officer of Gonda district. Much to the
dismay of those who believe in good governance, Pandit Singh was not only brought back to the government but also promoted to the rank of Cabinet Minister.
The prerogative of Chief Minister to pick or drop the ministerial colleagues has been blatantly misused. Probably terming the exercise as “misused” will not be appropriate as it was a slap on the face of democratic values and tradition by so-called and self-styled socialist turned feudal Yadav clan. First dropping and then inducting have been done to strike a deal and truce among warring factions in Yadav clan which has grown up to an unprecedented level with no match in terms of family members occupying the post of MLAs, MPs, Chairman of various corporations and others.
Though apparently it looks that some hidden truce or accord has been reached but it is surely going to be a short lived one. As the elections draw closer, the ticket
distribution will come up as the bone of contention to stir up fresh round of tussle. Akhilesh Yadav has made it clear that he wants his say in selection of party candidates as election will be contested on his face. The desire of CM is not going to be fulfilled without going through a resistance by Shivpal who in latest round got some unexpected backing from MSY. The insiders claim that it could have been done only with the support of Sadhna.
The veteran wrestler Mulayam Singh is all set to witness fresh round of bout sooner than the expectations that too in his own court. A catch 22 situation is looming large before him—his son and political heir Akhilesh and his second wife
aspiring for her own clout and all sort of security for her son Prateek. The most populous state is paying price for this
family drama as the government has almost sunk deep into the corruption, nepotism, appeasement of Muslims and last but not the least chaos and lawlessness. May the people take a call to get the things back to the track in hustings!
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