'Akhileshwadi' is latest of cults in Samajwadi Pariwar

Lucknow: From 'Samajwadi' to 'Mulayamwadi' and now 'Akhileshwadi', the present crisis in the Samajwadi Party has seen the rise of a personality cult which was never witnessed earlier in the outfit which was founded on the tenets of socialism and so far had been working as a family.
When youth leaders of the party were shouting "UP ki majboori hai, Akhilesh Bhaiyya zaaruri hai", or "Yeh jawani, ye toofan, Akhilesh bhaiyya, tujh pe kurbaan" and protesting in front of SP headquarters on Vikramaditya Marg, their anger was not directed against any rival party.They were protesting against their own leaders, seeking immediate reinstatement of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav to the post of state president in place of Shivpal Yadav.
This was for the first time when a change of post from one leader to another had created so much drama on the streets of the state capital. So much so that some youths were even threatening to commit suicide. "Main Akhilesh bhiayya ke bina jaan de dunga" (I will commit suicide if Akhikesh's dignity is not restored by the party chief)," remarked Hazi Zarar Khan, state president of the Shramik Association and he hit his on the road and went hysterical.
Nearly 100 party office-bearers and even those appointed to government post resigned to express their solidarity with the young CM. UP Backward Commission member Kiran Yadav, who put in her papers on Monday, said she was doing it to express her support to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. One Gaurav Dubey, on the other hand, climbed upon a water tank and threatened to jump.
While such kind of cult culture is common in South India, it was being witnessed in UP probably for the first time as fans and followers of Akhilesh went to the extent of opposing the party high command's decision.
While Akhilesh confined himself to his official residence and watched the whole drama on TV screen, his young supporters were defying the party Mulayam's orders and refusing to work under Shivpal-the two brothers who built up the party and brought it to the state where it posted a historic mandate .
Last week, when Shivpal had resigned, his supporters, too, wearing T-shirts with his face had mobbed his official residence and shouted slogans in his favour.
"There is no denying the fact that Akhilesh Yadav has a direct connect with the youth of the state and he enjoys this reputation cutting across caste and communal lines. May be because he has a charming personality and announced welfare programmes which do not cater to any particular caste or social groups and have been offered to all," says senior political analyst Ashutosh Mishra.