Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav rejected Shivpal Singh Yadav's resignationfrom the party on Friday, a day after the former PWD minister stepped down from all party posts as well as the state government in developments that deepened the crisis in Uttar Pradesh's ruling party.
Mulayam held a meeting at his residence to thrash out a solution on the ongoing power struggle between his son and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his younger brother Shivpal.
A majority of the Yadav clan felt Akhilesh had not only humiliated his uncle by stripping him of important portfolios, but also viewed it as a direct challenge to the family patriarch - the SP chief.
Earlier, hundreds of slogan-shouting supporters staged a show of strength outside his residence in Lucknow. After spending most of the night outside the 7, Kalidas Marg residence of the former minister, they shouted anti-Akhilesh slogans demanding that all departments be restored to their leader.
The protesting supporters said Shivpal should be retained as the state president and that he was humiliated by the CM. They demanded that Akhilesh should touch Shivpal's feet as a nephew and say sorry.
Many leaders wept openly and also threatened to immolate themselves if their demands were not met.
Dileep Singh 'Babloo', 32, a Zila panchayat member from Etawah, is leading the dharna outside Shivpal's residence.
His supporters said, "Ramgopal ko kinarey karo (Sideline Ramgopal Yadav) and "Netaji, gaddi sambhalo (Mulayam Singh Yadav, take over as CM)".
Former minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati - whose sacking by Akhilesh and Shivpal's nephew on Monday is said to have triggered the crisis - came to meet Shivpal at his residence. Prajapati is considered close to Mulayam and his presence at Shivpal's house gave rise to speculations about the party chief's role.
The two later came out to greet the supporters. Addressing his supporters, Shivpal asked them to march to the party headquarters.
Several of the MLAs, who fear that they will be denied tickets, also rushed to Shivpal's residence with their supporters. The MLAs from Etah, Etawah, Mainpuri - Raju Yadav, Najeeba Zeenar, Sobran Yadav, Raghuraj Sakya - said they will abide by Mulayam's order.
While Najeeba is close to Shivpal and Raju Yadav is member of Akhilesh brigade, Sobran and Sakya call themselves Mulayam loyalist. All of them had the same demand that Mulayam should "restore the prestige of Shivpal" saying a divided SP will spell a doom for them as well.
Majority of the party's MLAs are scrambling to reach Lucknow from their respective constituencies and will assemble in the party office.
On Thursday night, state ministers Raghuraj Pratap Singh, Indrajit Kori, Shivendra Singh and Ranvijay Singh were spotted at Shivpal's residence along with some party legislators.
The show of support came after an eventful night that saw Shivpal step out of his residence after midnight to assure his supporters and ask them to go home and sleep. "Na soyenge, na soney denge (Won't sleep, will give sleepless night to others)," the crowd chanted.
Shivpal - who held a clutch of important departments - quit the government as well as his position as the chief of Samajwadi Party's state unit on Thursday, an attempt to distance himself from Akhilesh with whom he has been involved in a bruising fight for influence.
Sources said Akhilesh had rejected Shivpal's resignation from the cabinet, but the party had made no decision yet on his offer to quit as its state chief.
The late-night development came after a day of separate meetings between party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, his brother Shivpal and Akhilesh raised hopes of a truce between the uncle and nephew.
Mulayam met with the two separately to ask them to end their feuding. A meeting between the uncle and nephew lasted barely 15 minutes at the latter's office.
Two days ago, Akhilesh stripped Shivpal of three top departments after the chief minister himself was removed as the party's state chief and Shivpal given the post. Their differences, a badly kept secret for years, had become public over the past months.
The party's Rajya Sabha MP, Amar Singh's alleged role in the crisis also figured in discussions during the day, with Akhilesh's second uncle Ramgopal Yadav and party leader Naresh Agarwal hinting at his "interference" in party matters.
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