News Analysis India

Tag: Samajwadi Party

  • Uttar Pradesh: SP leader Azam Khan disqualified as MLA after conviction in hate speech case

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: In a major development on Friday, senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and party MLA from Rampur, Mohammad Azam Khan was disqualified from the UP assembly by the speaker. The disqualification came a day after Khan was convicted and sentenced to three-year imprisonment by Rampur MP/MLAs court in a case of hate speech registered against him in April 2019.

    The 74-year-old Khan’s disqualification will necessitate a by-poll to the Rampur assembly constituency. Azam Khan won the seat in 2022.

    The case against Khan was registered in Rampur in April 2019. He has been convicted under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 153 A (promoting enmity between two groups), 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) and Section 125 of the Representation of People Act 1951. An FIR was lodged against him after the returning officer took cognizance of the matter based on a complaint lodged against Khan.

    Azam Khan was convicted by the court in the case for using objectionable language against persons holding prominent constitutional positions including Prime Ministe22r Narendra Modi, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the then Rampur DM Anjaneya Kumar Singh at a public rally during 2019 general elections.

    Getting into action immediately in compliance of the 2013 order of the Supreme Court of India, Principal Secretary, Vidhan Sabha, Pradeep Dubey initiated the proceedings of Azam Khan’s disqualification from the Assembly issuing a notification citing the MP/MLAs court order. Khan’s disqualification was subsequently communicated to the Election Commission of India.

    Notably, the Supreme Court of India had stated in its order dated July 10, 2013, that if a sitting MP/MLA was convicted of an offence (not only charged) then he/she would be disqualified immediately and the seat would be declared as vacant without giving three months’ time to the convict for appeal as was the case before.

    ALSO READ | Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan gets three-year jail term in hate speech case; granted bail

    As per the highly-placed sources, the decision over the disqualification of Azam Khan was taken immediately after the state government, through UP chief secretary DS Mishra, made a formal communication to the Vidhan Sabha informing it about the SP leader’s conviction.

    However, the Supreme Court delivered the order striking down Section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act (RPA) as unconstitutional as it allowed convicted lawmakers to avail of a three-month period for filing appeal to the higher court to get a stay. The apex court had delivered the judgement following writ petitions filed by advocate Lily Thomas and Lok Prahari, through its General Secretary SN Shukla, the retired IAS officer. As per the provisions, Khan, who faces three years of imprisonment, will not be able to contest any election for a period of nine years. In fact, Section 8 of the RPA deals with disqualification of a lawmaker for six years since his release from jail after being convicted in case of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for varying terms.

    According to legal experts, if Azam Khan gets a stay order from the higher court against his conviction, his disqualification would not be revoked but he would be able to contest the by-election to his seat.

    LUCKNOW: In a major development on Friday, senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and party MLA from Rampur, Mohammad Azam Khan was disqualified from the UP assembly by the speaker. The disqualification came a day after Khan was convicted and sentenced to three-year imprisonment by Rampur MP/MLAs court in a case of hate speech registered against him in April 2019.

    The 74-year-old Khan’s disqualification will necessitate a by-poll to the Rampur assembly constituency. Azam Khan won the seat in 2022.

    The case against Khan was registered in Rampur in April 2019. He has been convicted under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 153 A (promoting enmity between two groups), 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) and Section 125 of the Representation of People Act 1951. An FIR was lodged against him after the returning officer took cognizance of the matter based on a complaint lodged against Khan.

    Azam Khan was convicted by the court in the case for using objectionable language against persons holding prominent constitutional positions including Prime Ministe22r Narendra Modi, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the then Rampur DM Anjaneya Kumar Singh at a public rally during 2019 general elections.

    Getting into action immediately in compliance of the 2013 order of the Supreme Court of India, Principal Secretary, Vidhan Sabha, Pradeep Dubey initiated the proceedings of Azam Khan’s disqualification from the Assembly issuing a notification citing the MP/MLAs court order. Khan’s disqualification was subsequently communicated to the Election Commission of India.

    Notably, the Supreme Court of India had stated in its order dated July 10, 2013, that if a sitting MP/MLA was convicted of an offence (not only charged) then he/she would be disqualified immediately and the seat would be declared as vacant without giving three months’ time to the convict for appeal as was the case before.

    ALSO READ | Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan gets three-year jail term in hate speech case; granted bail

    As per the highly-placed sources, the decision over the disqualification of Azam Khan was taken immediately after the state government, through UP chief secretary DS Mishra, made a formal communication to the Vidhan Sabha informing it about the SP leader’s conviction.

    However, the Supreme Court delivered the order striking down Section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act (RPA) as unconstitutional as it allowed convicted lawmakers to avail of a three-month period for filing appeal to the higher court to get a stay. The apex court had delivered the judgement following writ petitions filed by advocate Lily Thomas and Lok Prahari, through its General Secretary SN Shukla, the retired IAS officer.
     
    As per the provisions, Khan, who faces three years of imprisonment, will not be able to contest any election for a period of nine years. In fact, Section 8 of the RPA deals with disqualification of a lawmaker for six years since his release from jail after being convicted in case of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for varying terms.

    According to legal experts, if Azam Khan gets a stay order from the higher court against his conviction, his disqualification would not be revoked but he would be able to contest the by-election to his seat.

  • SP’s Sambhal MP demands Gulab Devi’s resignation over ‘Modi like avatar of god’ comment 

    By PTI

    SAMBHAL: Samajwadi Party MP Shafiq-ur-Rehman Barq on Thursday demanded the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi for saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was like an “incarnation of God” and said her comment was an attempt to elevate her status.

    Gulab Devi, the BJP MLA from Chandausi, on Wednesday said Modi was like an incarnation of god and could remain in his post as long as he wished.

    “Modiji is like an avatar. He is a person of extraordinary talent. No one can compete with them. If he wishes, he can remain the prime minister till he is alive,” she had said.

    In response, the Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal told reporters, “She (Gulab Devi) should resign (from the ministry) and start worshipping the Prime Minister. This is nothing but an attempt (by the minister) to improve her status.”

    The Chandausi Assembly segment falls under Barq’s Sambhal parliamentary constituency.

    Barq also reacted to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s demand to print images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha on currency notes and said, “Saying that the picture of an avatar should be printed on notes is politics.

    What has an avatar got to do in politics?” Kejriwal on Wednesday appealed to the prime minister to print images of Lakshmi and Ganesha on new currency notes for India’s economic progress and prosperity.

    “The entire country will be blessed if currency notes have the images of Lord Ganesha-Goddess Lakshmi,” he had said.

    SAMBHAL: Samajwadi Party MP Shafiq-ur-Rehman Barq on Thursday demanded the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi for saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was like an “incarnation of God” and said her comment was an attempt to elevate her status.

    Gulab Devi, the BJP MLA from Chandausi, on Wednesday said Modi was like an incarnation of god and could remain in his post as long as he wished.

    “Modiji is like an avatar. He is a person of extraordinary talent. No one can compete with them. If he wishes, he can remain the prime minister till he is alive,” she had said.

    In response, the Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal told reporters, “She (Gulab Devi) should resign (from the ministry) and start worshipping the Prime Minister. This is nothing but an attempt (by the minister) to improve her status.”

    The Chandausi Assembly segment falls under Barq’s Sambhal parliamentary constituency.

    Barq also reacted to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s demand to print images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha on currency notes and said, “Saying that the picture of an avatar should be printed on notes is politics.

    What has an avatar got to do in politics?” Kejriwal on Wednesday appealed to the prime minister to print images of Lakshmi and Ganesha on new currency notes for India’s economic progress and prosperity.

    “The entire country will be blessed if currency notes have the images of Lord Ganesha-Goddess Lakshmi,” he had said.

  • UP: Two held for objectionable remarks against Mulayam on social media 

    By PTI

    BALLIA: Two men were arrested for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on social media, police said on Friday.

    The Samajwadi Party founder breathed his last on October 10 at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.

    Deputy Superintendent of Police (Rasra) Shiv Narayan Vais said Markandeya Swarnkar and Ajay Verma, both residents of Nagra, were arrested on Thursday for the objectionable post against Yadav on Facebook.

    They were accused of disrupting peace, following which action was initiated, he added.

    Vais said the arrested accused had allegedly compared the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister to Ravana, the demon king in the Hindu epic ‘Ramayana’, and also made an objectionable comment about him.

    On Thursday, Samajwadi Party workers submitted a memorandum demanding action to the Nagra police station SHO.

    BALLIA: Two men were arrested for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on social media, police said on Friday.

    The Samajwadi Party founder breathed his last on October 10 at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.

    Deputy Superintendent of Police (Rasra) Shiv Narayan Vais said Markandeya Swarnkar and Ajay Verma, both residents of Nagra, were arrested on Thursday for the objectionable post against Yadav on Facebook.

    They were accused of disrupting peace, following which action was initiated, he added.

    Vais said the arrested accused had allegedly compared the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister to Ravana, the demon king in the Hindu epic ‘Ramayana’, and also made an objectionable comment about him.

    On Thursday, Samajwadi Party workers submitted a memorandum demanding action to the Nagra police station SHO.

  • How Mulayam Singh brought Chambal dacoits to their knees

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav was a man of conviction. As chief minister, he never hesitated in taking harsh measures against kar sewaks to save the disputed structure in Ayodhya in 1990 or in  issuing the release order for ‘bandit queen’ Phoolan Devi, withdrawing all 55 criminal cases lodged against her in 1994. He was also instrumental in keeping central UP free from gangs of dacoits.

    Mulayam’s decision to withdraw cases against Phoolan shocked the nation. Yet, he decided to field her as the party candidate from Mirzapur in the 1996 Lok Sabha election. Phoolan had shot to notoriety when she along with her gang of 35 dacoits massacred 22 Thakurs of Behmai village in Kanpur Dehat on February 14, 1981. Two years after the massacre, Phoolan and 25 members of her gang surrendered in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh on February 12, 1984. After spending around nine-odd years in Gwalior Central Jail, Phoolan was shifted to Tihar in October 1993.

    Mulayam’s sympathy with Phoolan whose surrender was negotiated by the then Madhya Pradesh CM Arjun Singh on the directives of PM Indira Gandhi took the entire nation by storm. He was given coverage by The New York Times over his decision.

    However, despite all the criticism, Mulayam remained firm on his decision which was later struck down by the court. The former dacoit queen was released on parole by the Supreme Court and went on to win Mirzapur polls as an SP candidate in 1996. “Mulayam had promoted Phoolan not only to foil an equally belligerent Mayawati as his party’s honeymoon with the BSP had ended on a bitter note in 1995, but also to woo the Mallah-Kachchi-Kewat (boatmen) votes,” says Prof AK Mishra, a political scientist.

    Moreover, the SP patriarch is also known to have played a crucial role in ridding the ravines of Chambal and Yamuna, spread across central UP, from the reign of terror of dacoits. Mulayam, in collaboration with the MP government, had been instrumental in the elimination of at least a dozen known dacoits active in the ravines of Etawah,

    Auraiyya, Jalaun districts of UP and Bhind, Gwalior and Muraina of Madhya Pradesh. Mulayam’s approach as UP CM towards the issue in the 90s led at least 50 dacoits to surrender in UP and MP jointly.The drive against dacoits active in the Chambal ravines continued vigorously during Mulayam’s last tenure as the UP CM between 2003 and 2007.

    Mulayam, who belonged to Saifai in western Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district, had seen dacoits operating with impunity in the central UP since his childhood. Former Inspector Ramnath Yadav recalls that in 2004, dacoits had come to depend mainly on abductions for heavy ransom. They had abducted a Kanpur-based doctor and took him to Beehad. “Mulayam called up the then Etawah SSP Akhilesh Mehrotra and ordered a vigorous campaign for the elimination of dacoits present in the area,” said Ramnath Yadav.

    A ministerial tiff that led to creation of U’khandDehradun: It was the result of an ideological confrontation between then defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and former PM Chandra Shekhar that led to the creation of a separate Uttarakhand. Chandra Shekhar was not in favour of small states at all, due to which Mulayam Singh left the Samajwadi Janata Party led by Chandra Shekhar and formed the Samajwadi Party. “The concept and foundation of the formation of the Samajwadi Party was laid in Dehradun itself,” said Suryakant Dhasmana, senior vice-president of the state Congress, the then chairman of the drafting committee of the Vinod Barthwal committee. ens 

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav was a man of conviction. As chief minister, he never hesitated in taking harsh measures against kar sewaks to save the disputed structure in Ayodhya in 1990 or in  issuing the release order for ‘bandit queen’ Phoolan Devi, withdrawing all 55 criminal cases lodged against her in 1994. He was also instrumental in keeping central UP free from gangs of dacoits.

    Mulayam’s decision to withdraw cases against Phoolan shocked the nation. Yet, he decided to field her as the party candidate from Mirzapur in the 1996 Lok Sabha election. Phoolan had shot to notoriety when she along with her gang of 35 dacoits massacred 22 Thakurs of Behmai village in Kanpur Dehat on February 14, 1981. Two years after the massacre, Phoolan and 25 members of her gang surrendered in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh on February 12, 1984. After spending around nine-odd years in Gwalior Central Jail, Phoolan was shifted to Tihar in October 1993.

    Mulayam’s sympathy with Phoolan whose surrender was negotiated by the then Madhya Pradesh CM Arjun Singh on the directives of PM Indira Gandhi took the entire nation by storm. He was given coverage by The New York Times over his decision.

    However, despite all the criticism, Mulayam remained firm on his decision which was later struck down by the court. The former dacoit queen was released on parole by the Supreme Court and went on to win Mirzapur polls as an SP candidate in 1996. “Mulayam had promoted Phoolan not only to foil an equally belligerent Mayawati as his party’s honeymoon with the BSP had ended on a bitter note in 1995, but also to woo the Mallah-Kachchi-Kewat (boatmen) votes,” says Prof AK Mishra, a political scientist.

    Moreover, the SP patriarch is also known to have played a crucial role in ridding the ravines of Chambal and Yamuna, spread across central UP, from the reign of terror of dacoits. Mulayam, in collaboration with the MP government, had been instrumental in the elimination of at least a dozen known dacoits active in the ravines of Etawah,

    Auraiyya, Jalaun districts of UP and Bhind, Gwalior and Muraina of Madhya Pradesh. Mulayam’s approach as UP CM towards the issue in the 90s led at least 50 dacoits to surrender in UP and MP jointly.
    The drive against dacoits active in the Chambal ravines continued vigorously during Mulayam’s last tenure as the UP CM between 2003 and 2007.

    Mulayam, who belonged to Saifai in western Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district, had seen dacoits operating with impunity in the central UP since his childhood. Former Inspector Ramnath Yadav recalls that in 2004, dacoits had come to depend mainly on abductions for heavy ransom. They had abducted a Kanpur-based doctor and took him to Beehad. “Mulayam called up the then Etawah SSP Akhilesh Mehrotra and ordered a vigorous campaign for the elimination of dacoits present in the area,” said Ramnath Yadav.

    A ministerial tiff that led to creation of U’khand
    Dehradun: It was the result of an ideological confrontation between then defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and former PM Chandra Shekhar that led to the creation of a separate Uttarakhand. Chandra Shekhar was not in favour of small states at all, due to which Mulayam Singh left the Samajwadi Janata Party led by Chandra Shekhar and formed the Samajwadi Party. “The concept and foundation of the formation of the Samajwadi Party was laid in Dehradun itself,” said Suryakant Dhasmana, senior vice-president of the state Congress, the then chairman of the drafting committee of the Vinod Barthwal committee. ens
     

  • Mulayam’s body arrives at native Saifai village, people throng to pay tributes

    By PTI

    ETAWAH: hants of “Netaji amar rahein” reverberated across Saifai as people from across length and breadth of Uttar Pradesh thronged socialist leader Mulayam Singh Yadav’s native village for his last darshan Monday.

    Yadav passed away Monday morning at a private hospital in Gurugram and his mortal remains reached here in the evening.

    The body of the Samajwadi Party patriarch has been kept at his kothi and the cremation will take place on Tuesday afternoon.

    While grief-struck commoners and party supporters stood in queues, it wasn’t easier for “VIPs” as well with multiple current and former UP legislative assembly members trying hard to gain entry into the kothi.

    “Sir, there are instructions to us that no VIP treatment is meted out to anyone,” a private security official told an MLC and a former MLC, denying them a backdoor entry.

    ALSO READ| Mulayam Singh Yadav’s journey: Timeline

    Besides a large number of people who waited for the mortal remains at the venue, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, former MP Dharmendra Yadav and other family members were present when the body was taken out from an ambulance.

    Mulayam’s brother Shivpal Yadav was seen comforting Akhilesh Yadav, placing his hand on his shoulder as the latter broke down.

    Soon after the body was laid for the last “darshans”, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh and BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary arrived and paid their tributes.

    ALSO READ: Mulayam, an astute politician who towered over political landscape of Hindi heartland

    They also extended their condolences to Akhilesh Yadav.

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Chhatisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and Bihar CM Nitesh Kumar are likely to arrive here.

    People from distant places in UP reached Saifai to pay their last respects.

    “He was like God to us,” Jaikesh Yadav, who arrived here with scores of people from Etah district, some 150 km away, told PTI as he struggled to gain entry for the darshan.

    Indrajit Singh Yadav said he left home in Jaunpur while Rahul Singh Yadav came from Prayagraj after the news of Yadav’s demise broke out.

    A private security official manning the queues estimated that well around 10,000 people had paid last respects till 9.30 pm. Among those struggling to gain entry was a 72-year-old man, hailing from a nearby village.

    ALSO READ: A 10-time MLA, 7-time MP, Mulayam Singh Yadav started his career as a teacher

    “I had a surgery on my leg several years ago and it’s permanently disabled,” the elderly man told PTI and recalled Yadav as a “great leader”.

    Traders in the district have decided to keep the markets closed on October 11 as a mark of respect to their leader.

    Yadav, a former defence minister who had also served as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh three times, passed away at 82 on Monday.

    ETAWAH: hants of “Netaji amar rahein” reverberated across Saifai as people from across length and breadth of Uttar Pradesh thronged socialist leader Mulayam Singh Yadav’s native village for his last darshan Monday.

    Yadav passed away Monday morning at a private hospital in Gurugram and his mortal remains reached here in the evening.

    The body of the Samajwadi Party patriarch has been kept at his kothi and the cremation will take place on Tuesday afternoon.

    While grief-struck commoners and party supporters stood in queues, it wasn’t easier for “VIPs” as well with multiple current and former UP legislative assembly members trying hard to gain entry into the kothi.

    “Sir, there are instructions to us that no VIP treatment is meted out to anyone,” a private security official told an MLC and a former MLC, denying them a backdoor entry.

    ALSO READ| Mulayam Singh Yadav’s journey: Timeline

    Besides a large number of people who waited for the mortal remains at the venue, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, former MP Dharmendra Yadav and other family members were present when the body was taken out from an ambulance.

    Mulayam’s brother Shivpal Yadav was seen comforting Akhilesh Yadav, placing his hand on his shoulder as the latter broke down.

    Soon after the body was laid for the last “darshans”, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh and BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary arrived and paid their tributes.

    ALSO READ: Mulayam, an astute politician who towered over political landscape of Hindi heartland

    They also extended their condolences to Akhilesh Yadav.

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Chhatisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and Bihar CM Nitesh Kumar are likely to arrive here.

    People from distant places in UP reached Saifai to pay their last respects.

    “He was like God to us,” Jaikesh Yadav, who arrived here with scores of people from Etah district, some 150 km away, told PTI as he struggled to gain entry for the darshan.

    Indrajit Singh Yadav said he left home in Jaunpur while Rahul Singh Yadav came from Prayagraj after the news of Yadav’s demise broke out.

    A private security official manning the queues estimated that well around 10,000 people had paid last respects till 9.30 pm. Among those struggling to gain entry was a 72-year-old man, hailing from a nearby village.

    ALSO READ: A 10-time MLA, 7-time MP, Mulayam Singh Yadav started his career as a teacher

    “I had a surgery on my leg several years ago and it’s permanently disabled,” the elderly man told PTI and recalled Yadav as a “great leader”.

    Traders in the district have decided to keep the markets closed on October 11 as a mark of respect to their leader.

    Yadav, a former defence minister who had also served as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh three times, passed away at 82 on Monday.

  • A 10-time MLA, 7-time MP, MSY started his career as a teacher

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Mulayam Singh Yadav, one of the most prominent leaders of Uttar Pradesh, served as the chief minister of the state thrice and also as India’s defence minister. He was elected 10 times as a member of the assembly and seven times as a Lok Sabha member.

    He passed away at the age of 82 due to multi-organ failure at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on Monday morning. Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son and SP chief Akhilesh confirmed his father’s demise in a tweet through the official Twitter handle of the party.

    “My respected father and everyone’s leader is no more – Akhilesh Yadav,” the tweet on Samajwadi Party’s Twitter handle read.

    Mulayam Singh Yadav had been admitted at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram since August 22 and his condition deteriorated a week ago when the SP patriarch was shifted to ICU and then to CCU. Currently, his treatment was being supervised by the team of senior doctors of Medanta hospital. He had been on life-saving drugs.

    As per the hospital sources, Mulayam had been suffering from acute kidney malfunction leading to an imbalance in the creatinine levels in his body. In such a condition, after keeping him on dialysis for some time, the doctors had shifted the veteran leader on Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) support and life-saving drugs.

    Born on November 22, 1939, in the village Saifai of Eatwah district in central UP, Mulayam Singh Yadav took education initial education in Etawah followed by Fatehabad and Agra. A known wrestler, Mulayam after completing his graduation and Bachelor of Teaching (BT), completed his higher education at Agra University, where he did his post-graduation in political science.

    An astute politician, Mulayam had started his career as a teacher at Jain Inter College in Karhal, in the Mainpuri district. In fact, the SP patriarch had done his schooling at the same school in 1955 when he took admission in Class 9th.  He did his Class 12th from the same school and joined it later as a teacher in 1963. He used to teach Hindi and social science.

    Mulayam was drawn to politics in 1960 when he started taking active part in the movement led by socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia after getting influenced by the socialist leader. However, he started his political journey formally in 1967 by contesting and winning the Assembly election as MLA from Jaswantnagar seat.

    A 10-time MLA and seven-time MP representing various constituencies across UP, Mulayam founded the Samajwadi Party in 1992 and he and rose to become the UP CM for the first time in 1989. He helmed UP thrice as CM from 1989-1991, 1993-1995 and 2003 to 2007. He was the country’s defence minister from 1996-1998 during the United Front government at the Centre.

    At present, Mulayam Sigh Yadav had been representing Mainpuri in Lok Sabha as MP. “Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji distinguished himself in UP and national politics. He was a key soldier for democracy during the Emergency. As Defence Minister, he worked for a stronger India. His Parliamentary interventions were insightful and emphasised furthering national interest,” Prime Minister Narendra Modiwrote in his tweet.

    ALSO READ | Mulayam a key soldier for democracy during Emergency: PM

    “The death of Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was also India’s former defence minister, is a huge loss to Indian politics. May god grant peace to his soul, and give strength to his family members,” the Congress wrote on its official Twitter handle.

    Expressing grief over the demise of the veteran leader, UP CM Yogi Aditynath paid tributes saying an era of socialist movements has ended in the country with the passing away of the SP patriarch.

    उत्तर प्रदेश के पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री श्री मुलायम सिंह यादव जी का निधन अत्यंत दुखदायी है।उनके निधन से समाजवाद के एक प्रमुख स्तंभ एवं एक संघर्षशील युग का अंत हुआ है।ईश्वर से दिवंगत आत्मा की शांति की कामना व शोकाकुल परिवार एवं समर्थकों के प्रति संवेदना व्यक्त करता हूँ।
    — Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) October 10, 2022
    “The demise of former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav ji is extremely sad.His death marked the end of a major pillar of socialism and a struggling era. I pray to God for the peace of the departed soul and express my condolences to the bereaved family and supporters,” Yogi Aditynath’s post read.

    Amid the pouring condolences, the Uttar Pradesh Government declared a three—day state mourning and last rites with full state honours of the departed leader.

    Mulayam Singh Yadav’s mortal remains will be brought to Lucknow and will be kept at the premises of the state Assembly and the SP office. Last rites will be performed in his native Saifai village of Etawah, sources said.

    LUCKNOW: Mulayam Singh Yadav, one of the most prominent leaders of Uttar Pradesh, served as the chief minister of the state thrice and also as India’s defence minister. He was elected 10 times as a member of the assembly and seven times as a Lok Sabha member.

    He passed away at the age of 82 due to multi-organ failure at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on Monday morning. Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son and SP chief Akhilesh confirmed his father’s demise in a tweet through the official Twitter handle of the party.

    “My respected father and everyone’s leader is no more – Akhilesh Yadav,” the tweet on Samajwadi Party’s Twitter handle read.

    Mulayam Singh Yadav had been admitted at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram since August 22 and his condition deteriorated a week ago when the SP patriarch was shifted to ICU and then to CCU. Currently, his treatment was being supervised by the team of senior doctors of Medanta hospital. He had been on life-saving drugs.

    As per the hospital sources, Mulayam had been suffering from acute kidney malfunction leading to an imbalance in the creatinine levels in his body. In such a condition, after keeping him on dialysis for some time, the doctors had shifted the veteran leader on Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) support and life-saving drugs.

    Born on November 22, 1939, in the village Saifai of Eatwah district in central UP, Mulayam Singh Yadav took education initial education in Etawah followed by Fatehabad and Agra. A known wrestler, Mulayam after completing his graduation and Bachelor of Teaching (BT), completed his higher education at Agra University, where he did his post-graduation in political science.

    An astute politician, Mulayam had started his career as a teacher at Jain Inter College in Karhal, in the Mainpuri district. In fact, the SP patriarch had done his schooling at the same school in 1955 when he took admission in Class 9th.  He did his Class 12th from the same school and joined it later as a teacher in 1963. He used to teach Hindi and social science.

    Mulayam was drawn to politics in 1960 when he started taking active part in the movement led by socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia after getting influenced by the socialist leader. However, he started his political journey formally in 1967 by contesting and winning the Assembly election as MLA from Jaswantnagar seat.

    A 10-time MLA and seven-time MP representing various constituencies across UP, Mulayam founded the Samajwadi Party in 1992 and he and rose to become the UP CM for the first time in 1989. He helmed UP thrice as CM from 1989-1991, 1993-1995 and 2003 to 2007. He was the country’s defence minister from 1996-1998 during the United Front government at the Centre.

    At present, Mulayam Sigh Yadav had been representing Mainpuri in Lok Sabha as MP. “Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji distinguished himself in UP and national politics. He was a key soldier for democracy during the Emergency. As Defence Minister, he worked for a stronger India. His Parliamentary interventions were insightful and emphasised furthering national interest,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi
    wrote in his tweet.

    ALSO READ | Mulayam a key soldier for democracy during Emergency: PM

    “The death of Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was also India’s former defence minister, is a huge loss to Indian politics. May god grant peace to his soul, and give strength to his family members,” the Congress wrote on its official Twitter handle.

    Expressing grief over the demise of the veteran leader, UP CM Yogi Aditynath paid tributes saying an era of socialist movements has ended in the country with the passing away of the SP patriarch.

    उत्तर प्रदेश के पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री श्री मुलायम सिंह यादव जी का निधन अत्यंत दुखदायी है।
    उनके निधन से समाजवाद के एक प्रमुख स्तंभ एवं एक संघर्षशील युग का अंत हुआ है।
    ईश्वर से दिवंगत आत्मा की शांति की कामना व शोकाकुल परिवार एवं समर्थकों के प्रति संवेदना व्यक्त करता हूँ।
    — Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) October 10, 2022
    “The demise of former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav ji is extremely sad.
    His death marked the end of a major pillar of socialism and a struggling era. I pray to God for the peace of the departed soul and express my condolences to the bereaved family and supporters,” Yogi Aditynath’s post read.

    Amid the pouring condolences, the Uttar Pradesh Government declared a three—day state mourning and last rites with full state honours of the departed leader.

    Mulayam Singh Yadav’s mortal remains will be brought to Lucknow and will be kept at the premises of the state Assembly and the SP office. Last rites will be performed in his native Saifai village of Etawah, sources said.

  • Mulayam Singh remains critical, being given life-saving drugs, says hospital

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav continues to be in the Intensive Care Unit of Medanta hospital in Gurugram and his condition remains critical, the hospital said. He is being administered life-saving drugs, it added.

    “Mulayam Singh Ji is still critical and on life-saving drugs, he is being treated in the ICU Medanta hospital, Gurugram, by a comprehensive team of specialists,” the hospital said in a health bulletin tweeted by the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) official handle.

    Yadav, 82, was admitted to the hospital on Sunday. The SP patron has been under treatment at Medanta since August 22. He had also been admitted to the facility in July, sources said.

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav continues to be in the Intensive Care Unit of Medanta hospital in Gurugram and his condition remains critical, the hospital said. He is being administered life-saving drugs, it added.

    “Mulayam Singh Ji is still critical and on life-saving drugs, he is being treated in the ICU Medanta hospital, Gurugram, by a comprehensive team of specialists,” the hospital said in a health bulletin tweeted by the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) official handle.

    Yadav, 82, was admitted to the hospital on Sunday. The SP patron has been under treatment at Medanta since August 22. He had also been admitted to the facility in July, sources said.

  • Power Games: Nitish wants to reunite old Janata Dal splinters

    Express News Service

    Mission 2024Nitish wants to reunite old Janata Dal splinters

    Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has been in touch with the leaders of the erstwhile Janata Dal’s splinters to try and unite them before the next Lok Sabha elections. The four breakaway parties of the old Janata Dal had recently come together on one platform at a public meeting organised by Om Prakash Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). Sources close to Kumar said that he wants a merger of his Janata Dal (United), Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) and the INLD. This, he feels, will provide an all-India alternative to the BJP in the 2024 general elections. Nitish Kumar wants this united Janata Dal to ally with the Congress to challenge the might of the BJP which appears assured of a victory in the absence of a credible national alternative. Nitish had recently met Congress president Sonia Gandhi along with Lalu Yadav where he had raised the issue of alliance. Sonia asked him to discuss the issue with the new party president after the conclusion of the party’s organisational elections.

    Rise of RupeeIndia to sign rupee trade deal with UAE, Nigeria

    India is close to signing a deal with the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria to facilitate trade in rupee with the two countries. Sources said that the deals with the two countries will be on the lines of the Indo-Russian rupee-rouble deal. The trade with the two countries will reportedly be conducted using the US dollar as the benchmark for the exchange rate. India has of late been facing trouble in making payments for the Russian oil. Payment for Russian oil in Emirati Dirham has been stopped after US reportedly tightened screws on UAE’s Mashrek Bank which was handling these payments for the Indian companies. With the US sanctions making it difficult for India to make payments for the Russian oil, India now plans to buy oil from UAE and Nigeria by making payment in rupee once the deal comes through. Indian officials have been working with their counterparts in UAE and Nigeria and the deal is likely to be announced in October 2022.

    Legal NotesWhy Rohatgi refused to head govt’s legal team

    More than the appointment of R Venkataramani as the new Attorney General, the legal fraternity has been talking about Mukul  Rohatgi’s refusal to take up the post of government’s top law officer. Sources said the top-notch senior advocate was all set to take up the job. A message was reportedly conveyed to him about the appointment, and he had given his consent. Rohatgi had handled the responsibility in 2014, when the Narendra Modi government first came to power, and an encore was considered a smooth affair. Arrangements were being finalised for the crowning and news of the impending appointment was splashed all over the media. But Rohatgi suddenly declined the offer and R Venkataramani was appointed as the Attorney General. The reason as to why he refused the offer has been a subject of hot debates among the black gowns. Sources said that Rohatgi was told by his friends that 2022 is not 2014, and Kiren Rijiju is not Arun Jaitley! Rohatgi was told that a law officer, who holds an important position in the central government’s legal team, wields all the power in the current regime as he enjoys the same level of confidence among the top Union ministers as Rohatgi enjoyed during Jaitley’s tenure. As a result, his tenure may not be as smooth as the previous one, he was told. Rohatgi reportedly found merit in the input and decided to stay away from the A-G’s post.

    Mission 2024
    Nitish wants to reunite old Janata Dal splinters

    Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has been in touch with the leaders of the erstwhile Janata Dal’s splinters to try and unite them before the next Lok Sabha elections. The four breakaway parties of the old Janata Dal had recently come together on one platform at a public meeting organised by Om Prakash Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). Sources close to Kumar said that he wants a merger of his Janata Dal (United), Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) and the INLD. This, he feels, will provide an all-India alternative to the BJP in the 2024 general elections. Nitish Kumar wants this united Janata Dal to ally with the Congress to challenge the might of the BJP which appears assured of a victory in the absence of a credible national alternative. Nitish had recently met Congress president Sonia Gandhi along with Lalu Yadav where he had raised the issue of alliance. Sonia asked him to discuss the issue with the new party president after the conclusion of the party’s organisational elections.

    Rise of Rupee
    India to sign rupee trade deal with UAE, Nigeria

    India is close to signing a deal with the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria to facilitate trade in rupee with the two countries. Sources said that the deals with the two countries will be on the lines of the Indo-Russian rupee-rouble deal. The trade with the two countries will reportedly be conducted using the US dollar as the benchmark for the exchange rate. India has of late been facing trouble in making payments for the Russian oil. Payment for Russian oil in Emirati Dirham has been stopped after US reportedly tightened screws on UAE’s Mashrek Bank which was handling these payments for the Indian companies. With the US sanctions making it difficult for India to make payments for the Russian oil, India now plans to buy oil from UAE and Nigeria by making payment in rupee once the deal comes through. Indian officials have been working with their counterparts in UAE and Nigeria and the deal is likely to be announced in October 2022.

    Legal Notes
    Why Rohatgi refused to head govt’s legal team

    More than the appointment of R Venkataramani as the new Attorney General, the legal fraternity has been talking about Mukul  Rohatgi’s refusal to take up the post of government’s top law officer. Sources said the top-notch senior advocate was all set to take up the job. A message was reportedly conveyed to him about the appointment, and he had given his consent. Rohatgi had handled the responsibility in 2014, when the Narendra Modi government first came to power, and an encore was considered a smooth affair. Arrangements were being finalised for the crowning and news of the impending appointment was splashed all over the media. But Rohatgi suddenly declined the offer and R Venkataramani was appointed as the Attorney General. The reason as to why he refused the offer has been a subject of hot debates among the black gowns. Sources said that Rohatgi was told by his friends that 2022 is not 2014, and Kiren Rijiju is not Arun Jaitley! Rohatgi was told that a law officer, who holds an important position in the central government’s legal team, wields all the power in the current regime as he enjoys the same level of confidence among the top Union ministers as Rohatgi enjoyed during Jaitley’s tenure. As a result, his tenure may not be as smooth as the previous one, he was told. Rohatgi reportedly found merit in the input and decided to stay away from the A-G’s post.

  • Samajwadi Party’s march towards UP Vidhan Bhavan stopped midway 

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Police on Monday stopped the protest march taken out by the Samajwadi Party highlighting the issues in Uttar Pradesh before the monsoon session of the state legislature.

    As the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, legislators and other party workers started moving towards the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Bhavan from the party office located on Vikramaditya Marg, police stopped them near Vikramaditya Marg crossing.

    Following this Yadav and the other party leaders sat on a dharna there.

    During the march, the party MLAs and MLCs will raise issues of unemployment, price rise, crime against women and poor law and order situation in the state, the SP’s chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said here on Sunday.

    Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Piyush Mordia told PTI that the SP leaders were stopped near Vikramaditya Marg crossing. No arrests have been made so far in this regard, Mordia said. He said the party was given a route to take out their march but they did not opt for that route and went on another route, following which they were stopped.

    Mordia said the party workers were stopped, so that the common public does not face any inconvenience and there is no law and order problem.

    ALSO READ | Samajwadi Party takes out march against UP govt, security tight in Lucknow

    In view of the march, barricades were put up on Vikramaditya Marg by the police and the public was not allowed to use the road.

    The SP chief reached the party office at around 10 am from where he along with other legislators and party workers started marching towards the Vidhan Bhavan.

    The party’s planned protest at the Legislative Assembly against inflation, unemployment, and the law-and-order situation in the state could not begin on September 14 as police stopped its leaders from reaching the spot.

    Police personnel were stationed outside the SP office and the residences of its leaders in Lucknow hours before the scheduled protest. Heavy police deployment was also visible near the Legislative Assembly in Hazratganj.

    ALSO READ | CM Yogi exudes confidence ahead of Monsoon session, says will respond to opposition’s questions

    The protest was scheduled to start in front of the statue of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh on the Assembly premises.

    The police personnel deployed outside the SP office stopped the party’s leaders from reaching the Legislative Assembly for the protest. They were instead taken to Eco-Garden.

    LUCKNOW: Police on Monday stopped the protest march taken out by the Samajwadi Party highlighting the issues in Uttar Pradesh before the monsoon session of the state legislature.

    As the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, legislators and other party workers started moving towards the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Bhavan from the party office located on Vikramaditya Marg, police stopped them near Vikramaditya Marg crossing.

    Following this Yadav and the other party leaders sat on a dharna there.

    During the march, the party MLAs and MLCs will raise issues of unemployment, price rise, crime against women and poor law and order situation in the state, the SP’s chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said here on Sunday.

    Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Piyush Mordia told PTI that the SP leaders were stopped near Vikramaditya Marg crossing. No arrests have been made so far in this regard, Mordia said. He said the party was given a route to take out their march but they did not opt for that route and went on another route, following which they were stopped.

    Mordia said the party workers were stopped, so that the common public does not face any inconvenience and there is no law and order problem.

    ALSO READ | Samajwadi Party takes out march against UP govt, security tight in Lucknow

    In view of the march, barricades were put up on Vikramaditya Marg by the police and the public was not allowed to use the road.

    The SP chief reached the party office at around 10 am from where he along with other legislators and party workers started marching towards the Vidhan Bhavan.

    The party’s planned protest at the Legislative Assembly against inflation, unemployment, and the law-and-order situation in the state could not begin on September 14 as police stopped its leaders from reaching the spot.

    Police personnel were stationed outside the SP office and the residences of its leaders in Lucknow hours before the scheduled protest. Heavy police deployment was also visible near the Legislative Assembly in Hazratganj.

    ALSO READ | CM Yogi exudes confidence ahead of Monsoon session, says will respond to opposition’s questions

    The protest was scheduled to start in front of the statue of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh on the Assembly premises.

    The police personnel deployed outside the SP office stopped the party’s leaders from reaching the Legislative Assembly for the protest. They were instead taken to Eco-Garden.

  • SP leader withdraws election petition against BJP MP Sanghamitra Maurya

    By PTI

    BADAUN: Samajwadi Party leader Dharmendra Yadav has said he has withdrawn his election petition filed before the Allahabad High Court against sitting MP Sanghamitra Maurya, accusing her of submitting “incorrect information” in a poll affidavit.

    Maurya, the daughter of Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya, had fought the 2019 general elections from Budaun on a BJP ticket.

    She had won the contest defeating Dharmendra Yadav, the then sitting MP from the seat, with a margin of 18,000 votes.

    Dharmendra Yadav is a cousin of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

    After the conclusion of the 2019 general election, Dharmendra Yadav had filed the petition contending that some information provided by Sanghamitra Maurya in her election affidavit was incorrect.

    He had also alleged voting fraud in his petition and accused the election officials of not being fair.

    Dharmendra Yadav on Saturday told PTI that he had filed an undertaking to withdraw the petition a few months ago which was accepted by the High Court on Friday last.

    “There seems to be no need for the petition now. Swami Prasad Maurya, father of Sanghamitra Maurya, is in our party, and to avoid a situation of differences the petition was taken back.”

    Swami Prasad Maurya, who was a minister in the previous Yogi Adityanath government, was in the BJP at the time of the 2019 general elections.

    He had moved to the SP just before the recent state assembly elections, and is currently an MLC from SP.

    Sanghamitra Maurya, reacting to the development, told PTI: “I don’t know about his personal thoughts before taking back the petition. I just want to say that he has accepted the defeat of 2019 from his heart.”

    When asked if she will join the SP like her father, she said, “I have the support of the people. I have not been swayed by anyone in the past three years. If Dharmendra Yadav wants to join BJP, he is welcome.”

    BADAUN: Samajwadi Party leader Dharmendra Yadav has said he has withdrawn his election petition filed before the Allahabad High Court against sitting MP Sanghamitra Maurya, accusing her of submitting “incorrect information” in a poll affidavit.

    Maurya, the daughter of Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya, had fought the 2019 general elections from Budaun on a BJP ticket.

    She had won the contest defeating Dharmendra Yadav, the then sitting MP from the seat, with a margin of 18,000 votes.

    Dharmendra Yadav is a cousin of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

    After the conclusion of the 2019 general election, Dharmendra Yadav had filed the petition contending that some information provided by Sanghamitra Maurya in her election affidavit was incorrect.

    He had also alleged voting fraud in his petition and accused the election officials of not being fair.

    Dharmendra Yadav on Saturday told PTI that he had filed an undertaking to withdraw the petition a few months ago which was accepted by the High Court on Friday last.

    “There seems to be no need for the petition now. Swami Prasad Maurya, father of Sanghamitra Maurya, is in our party, and to avoid a situation of differences the petition was taken back.”

    Swami Prasad Maurya, who was a minister in the previous Yogi Adityanath government, was in the BJP at the time of the 2019 general elections.

    He had moved to the SP just before the recent state assembly elections, and is currently an MLC from SP.

    Sanghamitra Maurya, reacting to the development, told PTI: “I don’t know about his personal thoughts before taking back the petition. I just want to say that he has accepted the defeat of 2019 from his heart.”

    When asked if she will join the SP like her father, she said, “I have the support of the people. I have not been swayed by anyone in the past three years. If Dharmendra Yadav wants to join BJP, he is welcome.”