Youth to carry 'samajwadi' mantle in 2017 UP polls: Akhilesh

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today said the outcome of the 2017 state Assembly elections would be an indication as to which direction national politics was headed to and called on the youth to carry forward the 'samajwadi' (socialist) ideology.
"The outcome of the 2017 Assembly elections would indicate
the direction of national politics. The 'samajwadi' youth will have to fulfil the responsibility of carrying forward the 'samajwadi' ideology and its values," he told a joint meeting of Samajwadi Party's (SP) student and youth wings.
Akhilesh claimed "wrong" issues were being raised by political opponents to "corner" the 'samajwadis'. "But, the people have faith that the SP is working honestly. Only those political parties which failed to fulfil their promises, did not ensure development and misused power were attacking the SP government," he said.

He claimed it was the SP which ensured the participation of the youth at every level.
Akhilesh Yadav wants to have a major say in ticket

distribution, but Shivpal a leader with grassroots support, is unwilling to cede any ground to his nephew.
The state party chief recently announced the first list of candidates, which included the name of Amanmani Tripathi, an accused in the murder of his wife and son of mafia don- turned-politician Amarmani Tripathi, in jail for his alleged involvement in the murder of poetess Madhumita Shukla, without even consulting Akhilesh.
The sabre rattling in the Samajwadi Party's first family began when Akhilesh thwarted a merger of gangster-turned- politician Mukhtar Ansari's Qaumi Ekta Dal (QED) with the state's ruling party despite an announcement made in this regard by Shivpal, who had shepherded the move.

Shivpal then threatened to quit from SP citing alleged lawlessness and rise in land grab cases in the state. After this, Mulayam had attacked Akhilesh and said ministers in his government were corrupt and a burden on the state.
The bitterness deepened over time and, in a surprise action, Mulayam removed Akhilesh as SP's Uttar Pradesh unit chief last month and replaced him with Shivpal.
An angry Akhilesh, in swift retaliatory action, divested Shivpal of all important portfolios, only to return them after a Mulayam-brokered truce. Before the truce was declared, Shivpal resigned from the government and all party posts.

Supporters of Akhilesh and Shivpal held demonstrations to show there strength, compelling Mulayam to intervene and declare an end to hostilities between his brother and son.
But that did not put an end to the turf war within the SP's first family as Shivpal sacked several youth leaders considered close to the Chief Minister, including some MLCs.
In another setback to Akhilesh, Shivpal went on to declare that the merger with Ansari's QED stood despite earlier having been declared null and void.
Akhilesh, who has a clean image, sacked two important ministers--Gayatri Prasad Prajapati and Rajkishore Singh-- facing graft charges. Both were considered close to Mulayam and Prajapati has since been reinducted into the government.

The turf war has deeply divided the family, with Mulayam appearing to back Shivpal and his cousin and influential SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav plumping for Akhilesh.
Ram Gopal, a Rajya Sabha member and SP ideologue, has even written to Mulayam seeking his intervention to take the youth leaders back into the party fold and ensure Akhilesh has a decisive say in ticket distribution.