The feud in the Samajwadi Party showed no signs of ending with state unit chief Shivpal Yadav on Wednesday expelling from the party for six years minister Tej Narain Pandey alias Pawan Pandey, who is considered close to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Pawan Pandey had clashed with SP MLC Ashu Malik at party meet and also allegedly beaten him up. Malik had alleged that he was slapped by him at the chief minister s residence.
“Pawan Pandey is being expelled from Samajwadi Party for six years on charges of indiscipline,” Shivpal announced at a press conference at the party headquarters in Lucknow.
Shivpal said he has written a letter to the chief minister requesting him to sack Pandey from his ministry. Replying to questions, Shivpal maintained there was no dispute in the Samajwadi Party and the Mulayam family.
“Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had called me to clarify things related to a news article published in an English daily wherein Akhilesh Yadav was referred to as Aurangzeb and SP Chief Mulayam Singh as Shahjahan,” Ashu Malik had told reporters after the incident.
“When I was at CM s residence, party leader Pawan Pandey came and attacked me. He slapped me twice. I was asked to show up as the chief minister wanted to clarify things related to the news article in front of people but my presence was misunderstood by others,” he said. Malik said that Akhilesh was not present at his residence when the incident took place. He had lodged a written complaint against Pandey accusing him of attacking him, but no FIR has been registered in the matter so far.
