Shivpal announces new secular front with Mulayam as its president

Etawah: The Samajwadi Party, founded by Mulayam Singh Yadav 25 years back, today witnessed a split when his younger brother Shivpal Yadav announced formation of a new political front called 'Samajwadi Secular Morcha'. The new political outfit floated by Shivpal Yadav will be headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The development comes after several months of infighting within the party, compounded by a crushing electoral defeat in UP, after a meeting between Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav here at the residence of their brother-in-law Ajant Singh Yadav. The new front would be headed by Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Shivpal Yadav, who was in the news over a bitter struggle for power over the Samajwadi Party with his estranged nephew and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, said the new party will bring all 'Samajwadis' on a single platform. "This is being done to restore respect and honour of Netaji (Mulayam)," Shivpal said. The senior SP leader had on many occasions in the past hinted that he would launch a campaign to unite “Samajwadis”.

Shivpal Yadav had even asked Akhilesh Yadav to hand over the reins of the SP to his father Mr Mulayam Singh, failing which, he had warned, a new political front will be floated. “Akhilesh had promised to hand over the party to ‘Netaji’. He should now do so and we all will strengthen the SP. I had also given him three months’ time. Otherwise, I will constitute a new secular front,” Shivpal Yadav had said in Etawah two days back. (UNI)