In an astounding revelation, expelled Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, who was at the centre of a full-blown war in the party, has claimed that SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav had actually ‘secretly’ ceded the ‘bicycle’ to his son Akhilesh Yadav when the Election Commission was in the process of deciding on the faction that would get the symbol.
Replying to queries from Rajat Sharma in the show Aap Ki Adalat, telecast on India TV last week, Amar Singh revealed for the first time that it was Mulayam Singh Yadav who finally wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner to give the 'bicycle' symbol to his son Akhilesh Yadav.
"Let me tell you one undisclosed fact. Every father loves to lose at the hands of his son. Whatever the wranglings (jhagda), they are all artificial. It is my firm conviction and I have information to this effect that Mulayam Singh secretly decided to give the bicycle symbol to his son Akhilesh, and on the day following the deadline, he wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner requesting him to give the symbol to his son. Yeh pakki baat hai (it is a fact)," the Rajya Sabha MP said.
When Rajat Sharma pointed out he was revealing a big secret, Amar Singh replied: "I am disclosing this because when Mulayam Singh went to the Election Commission for the second time, he expressly told me not to accompany him. I did not go. He had earlier asked me to go to EC to submit the letter. When I reached downstairs after talking to Rawat sahab (Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat) he (Mulayam) told me that he would not become National President.
“Mulayamji might have felt that if he continued to be adamant (he could lose the symbol). This was the first case in which the symbol was not frozen, this was just impossible.”
He further said, "Normally verifying all the affidavits (of MLAs supporting Akhilesh) would have taken at least three months. Akhilesh could have got the symbol, only after three months, because he had the numbers with him. ..Mulayam Singh single-handedly built the party, and he loved his bicycle symbol, he might have thought if he was going to lose the symbol, it should at least stay with his son."
The Election Commission had ruled on January 16 that the Akhilesh faction was the Samajwadi Party and entitled to the party symbol bicycle.
Both the factions had petitioned the poll panel earlier that month, staking claim to the name and symbol. The move came after Akhilesh ousted his father and took over as the party president on the New Year’s Day.
Asked by Rajat Sharma whether the entire rigmarole of expelling leaders and then withdrawing, was all a 'drama', Amar Singh replied: "What did you see in the end? Shivpal Singh is sucking his thumb, Amar Singh stands expelled, petty leaders are saying I am an outsider. It was I who arranged the marriage of the couple (Akhilesh and Dimple), who cut the cake, and had a portion shoved into my mouth, I became an outsider, and those petty people became insiders."
The businessman reiterated his commitment towards the Samajwadi Party founder and said he would “always remain with the sidelined Mulayamji all my life.”
He, however, said that the days of 'Mulayamwad' were now over.
"I have been 'Mulayamwadi', but the days of 'Mulayamwad' is over, Mulayamji is sidelined, he has accepted 'Akhileshwaad', or 'putrawaad' (pro-son). Yet, Mulayam Singh had been and shall continue to be my brother, and Akhilesh shall continue to be my 'bhatija' (nephew). Akhilesh's supporters may urinate on my posters, hurl abuses at me, but I will never lower my level,” he said.
