After Mulayam Singh's No Show, Akhilesh Yadav's Facebook Post Says All Is Well

Lucknow: Hours after Akhilesh Yadav failed to get his sulking father Mulayam Singh Yadav to join him on stage for the unveiling of the Samajwadi Party manifesto for next month's Uttar Pradesh election, a Facebook update from the Chief Minister projected that all is well.

In a photo posted last night, Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav are all smiles as they pose with Mulayam Singh holding copies of the manifesto.

State Minister Azam Khan, who has been mediator between the warring Yadavs, is also seen with them. Mr Khan had earlier tried in vain to persuade Mulayam Singh to join his son on the stage.

Soon after releasing the manifesto, the Chief Minister and his wife Dimple left the party office, but had to rush back to meet father Mulayam Singh who arrived after the event. The two met for over 40 minutes and were later seen walking out of the office together.
 
Sources say Mulayam Singh stopped short of calling his own press conference last evening, around the time the Samajwadi Party was announcing its alliance with the Congress.

Akhilesh Yadav reportedly talked his father out of the move, which, say sources, would have exposed lingering bitterness.

On January 16, Akhilesh Yadav won a battle with his father for control of the Samajwadi Party as the Election Commission ruled that the 43-year-old had more supporters in the party and had the right to use its name and "cycle" symbol in the February-March polls if the party were to split.

Since that verdict, there have been internal meetings between father and son but they have never appeared in public together. In those meetings, Mulayam Singh also handed over his wish-list of candidates that included his younger brother and closest aide Shivpal Yadav, said to be the main cause of estrangement between father and son.

Shivpal Yadav and others recommended by Mulayam Singh did make it to the list of candidates. But in a clear reflection of who controls the party, a nameplate that earlier declared both Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav as party presidents has now been replaced with one that describes the 77-year-old Samajwadi founder as "mentor".