The seemingly endless drama in the Samajwadi Party continued on Thursday, with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav reinstating his cousin Ramgopal Yadav in the party and announcing that he would continue to be its leader in Rajya Sabha, its general secretary, spokesperson and a member of its central parliamentary board. An indication of Mulayam’s mind was available on Wednesday itself — when he allowed Ramgopal to sit in his usual place in Rajya Sabha, reserved for the party’s floor leader, and to participate in the discussion on the withdrawal of high value currency notes.
All this came only a few days after Mulayam had said that he gave no importance to Ramgopal’s comments. Ramgopal had broken down before reporters in Etawah on Monday, saying that he believed he was still part of the SP. He had demanded the reversal of the expulsion of leaders who had been shown the door over the past two months in an “unconstitutional manner”.
Against this backdrop, Thursday’s development underscores, once again, the unpredictable nature of decision-making in the SP, where decisions have been repeatedly taken and changed by Mulayam, his younger brother Shivpal Yadav, and his son and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
The unpredictability, SP insiders say, stems from the basic nature of the party and its hierarchy — and the fact that decisions are taken by members of one family. “They take actions in their personal capacity during the day, but change their position after meeting each other in the evening,” said an SP leader.
