I'm Samajwadi Party's national president, Ram Gopal has no right to call meet, asserts Mulayam

At an impromptu press conference in Delhi, the senior Yadav announced that Ram Gopal Yadav has been sacked from the party with immediate effect.

ANI

New Delhi: In a fresh twist in the ongoing Samajwadi Party feud, embattled SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday declared the national convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav last week as illegal, asserting that he is still the party's national president.

At an impromptu press conference in Delhi, the senior Yadav said Ram Gopal Yadav was already suspended for six years on December 30 so he has no right to convene the party's national convention on January 1 in which his son Akhilesh Yadav was made the SP chief.

Ramgopal, who has been backing Akhilesh in the internecine fued in the party, had convened the meeting in his capacity as SP general secretary.

“The national convention called by him (Ram Gopal Yadav) on Jan 1, making Akhilesh as Samajwadi Party chief is illegal,” he said.

He asserted: “I am Samajwadi Party chief and Akhilesh Yadav is the chief minister,” and adding nothing has changed in the party status-quo.

He also declared that Akhilesh's uncle Shivpal Yadav continues to be the party's state president.

The development comes hours after Mulayam Singh in an apparent bid to lower the tensions had said that the party will unitedly fight the state elections,

"So what Akhilesh has turned rebel? He is still my son.

“What can I do if he has turned stubborn? But don't worry, I will resolve everything.

"Now, everything is with Akhilesh whereas I have handful of MLAs," he had said earlier in the day.

"Those who have been given ticket for the Uttar Pradesh assembly election should focus on the campaign," he said.

Shivpal Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh were also present at the press conference.

Meanwhile, the party patriarch is said to demand from the Election Commission to check the authenticity and legality of the papers submitted by Ram Gopal Yadav earlier this week.

Mulayam is likely to visit the Commission on Monday to stake claim over the party's name and election symbol 'cycle'.

Monday is the deadline set by the EC for both the sides to submit documents before it decides which faction has the genuine claim over the two.

On Saturday, the Akhilesh faction submitted to the EC affidavits claimed to have been signed by 90 percent of legislators and delegates, including over 200 of the 229 MLAs backing the Chief Minister.