Shivpal Yadav Plays Hardball; Resignation Rejected by Mulayam, Akhilesh

Lucknow: Hours after his resignation from the Uttar Pradesh cabinet and Samajwadi Party posts, Shivpal Yadav on Friday morning displayed a show of strength outside his home in Lucknow.

Hundreds of supporters of Shivpal protested outside his house demanding senior leader Ramgopal Yadav's resignation. They said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has undermined Shivpal's position in the party and that he should apologise for this.

Both SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh have rejected Shivpal's resignation.

Shivpal has, however, made it clear that he will continue to follow Mulayam's orders.

"I wish to strengthen the Samajwadi Party. We are all with Netaji (Mulayam). Netaji's wishes are our command. Today, Netaji will come to the party office. In every situation, we will be with him. We are with Netaji and will state our viewpoint to Netaji," Shivpal said.

The feud within the party broke out a few months before the crucial Uttar Pradesh assembly elections which are due in early 2017. Shivpal being a prominent leader in the party, his resignation came as a huge setback.

Moreover, Shivpal is not an easy nut to crack and has now asked Mulayam that both Akhilesh and Ram Gopal Yadav must be removed from the party, said sources. He has told Mulayam that he is not interested in holding mere portfolios and that equality to chief minister's post is paramount, the sources added.

In a meeting with Shivpal, Mulayam told his younger brother that Akhilesh is not listening to him.

Sources said that Akhilesh wants to settle the leadership issue once and for all. The CM might agree to return the portfolios, but Shivpal is now asking for much more.

Shivpal had resigned on Thursday evening and submitted his resignation to Mulayam and Akhilesh. Shivpal's wife Sarla too resigned from her post at the Etawah District Co-operative Bank.

Here are some of the possible scenarios to resolve the civil war within the party:

Scenario One: Mulayam may promises a deputy chief minister post for Shivpal Yadav's son.

Scenario Two: Shivpal agrees to take back all portfolios, and stays as chief of SP's UP unit.

Scenario Three: Shivpal is given more leeway in deciding tickets for next elections.

Scenario Four: Creation of a mechanism to ensure Shivpal and Akhilesh are almost equal.