Mulayam Singh Yadav revives talks with QED for merger with SP

A day after he slammed his son and sided with his brother, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday reopened the idea of the merger of Qaumi Ekta Dal (QED) into the SP — which had been aborted in June following stiff opposition from chief minister Akhilesh Yadav — and spoke to QED president Afzal Ansari on phone.

It is reliably learnt that Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav has convinced Mr Ansari to merge his party into the SP and has promised to announce the merger himself this time.

In June this year, senior UP minister and party chief’s younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav had announced the merger after which Mr Akhilesh Yadav forced its cancellation, a drama that generated bad blood within the family. An angry Mr Akhilesh Yadav even sacked senior minister Balram Yadav who had facilitated the merger though he later took him back into the Council of Ministers.

Mr Akhilesh Yadav was opposed to the merger because of the criminal antecedents of Mukhtar Ansari and Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav is keen on the merger because it will help the Samajwadi Party get Muslim votes in about half-a-dozen districts of eastern UP where the party wields considerable influence.

Sources said that if the merger takes place, Mr Afzal Ansari and his brother Sigbatullh Ansari will contest on a Samajwadi ticket but the third brother, Mukhtar Ansari, who is known for his criminal antecedents, will contest as an independent candidate.

The chief minister was not available for his comment on the development which could deepen the crisis in the Samajwadi Party, especially with

Mr Shivpal Yadav saying that he will not contest the upcoming assembly elections.

Mr Shivpal Yadav, however, downplayed the issue on Tuesday saying that he had no differences with Mr Akhilesh Yadav and that the word of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav was final.

Meanwhile, another UP minister, Ravidas Mehrotra, said on Tuesday that almost 50 per cent of the officials in the state government were corrupt.

The minister, who holds the family and child welfare portfolio, said that he had recently given proof of corruption by an officer in his own department. He said that the statement given by Mr Shivpal Yadav was correct because he had said officials and party workers were indulging in corruption.