Claiming that his party could come to power at the Centre, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday said the present political equations indicate that both Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party would not be able to get a majority in the 2014 general election.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said on Monday that the decision to support the Congress-led government at the Centre on the civilian nuclear deal issue was taken in the national interest.
The poll panel has thrown an unprecedented security blanket over Kanpur, the chief minister's stronghold.
Urdu journalist cum politician Shahid Siddiqui, who made waves recently when he was sacked by the Samajwadi Party for interviewing Gujarat CM Narendra Modi for his paper, spoke to Neerja Chowdhury on Uttar Pradesh, the goings on in the SP and the government led by it, of which he has had more than a ringside view.
Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday flatly denied pressurising his son Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, on whom he had entrusted the reins of the SP government 14 months ago.
Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav told mediapersons in New Delhi on Wednesday that his party has not taken any decision about projecting someone as the chief ministerial candidate in the forthcoming elections of the UP assembly.
In line with his plan for a complete makeover of the Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav, the party general secretary and son of chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, on Tuesday expelled a functionary for indulging in vandalism and showing black flags to Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi in Aligarh earlier in the day.
In the backdrop of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam withdrawing support to United Progressive Alliance, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party state president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said his party's support to the UPA would continue and final decision would be taken by SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma found himself in the midst of a fresh controversy over his remarks that Mulayam Singh Yadav allegedly has "terrorist links", with Samajwadi Party members disrupting the Lok Sabha on Monday demanding his removal from the Cabinet.
Hoping for a reconciliation with the Left, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday said his party had committed a mistake by supporting the UPA-I after the Communists withdrew support on the nuclear deal issue.
Unmindful of the deep resentment within his own ranks and file against his new found bonhomie with once sowrn political adversary and rebel Bhartiya Janata Party leader Kalyan Singh , Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday termed his relationship with Kalyan as a "bond of friendship."
This is concerning a PIL seeking a CBI inquiry into the assets acquired by them beyond known sources of income.
"Our government is prepared to prove its majority on the floor of the house if so warranted," Yadav said addressing a press conference in Lucknow.
The RLD Chief Ajit Singh, who announced his resignations at a press conference, said the alliance with Yadav-led SP and the government is over.
"Had there been no demolition, probably the courts too would have ordered status quo," he said then. And his last wish, he said, was to live till the temple comes up.
Downplaying the tiff with the Samajwadi Party in Lok Sabha over the quota in promotion bill, the Congress on Wednesday indicated that communication channels will remain open with Mulayam Singh Yadav's party on the issue.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Sunday attacked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav saying he was dreaming of becoming the prime minister "day and night", but how will he handle the country, when he was unable to handle a state.
Central Bureau of Investigation director Ashwini Kumar defended the U-turn of the agency in Mulayam Singh Yadav's case saying the investigating agency was bound by the rules to consult the government before going to any court.
The Central Bureau of Investigation's handling of the disprortionate assets case against Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family members came under sharp attack from the Supreme Court, which said the agency was "acting at the behest" of the Centre in the matter.
With uncertainty prevailing over 'Janata Parivar' constituents contesting the Bihar assembly polls as one party, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to convene a meeting of the merger committee to "clear the air".
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav announced a state-wide 'jail bharo' agitation on Wednesday against Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh and asked the Centre to "mend" its policies, but was silent on the issue of withdrawing support from the Congress-led UPA. "The 'jail bharo' agitation will not be symbolic. You all will have to go to jail...I will court arrest in Lucknow," Yadav said at the inaugural session of the party's Special National Conference in Agra.
In its affidavit, the investigating agency, however, said that it was willing to place the status report directly before the apex court, instead of submitting the same to the Central government.
"We have thoroughly examined whatever papers we have received. The chief secretary was found innocent in the inquiry conducted by the government in the disproportionate assets case," the UP chief minister told reporters in New Delhi.
He asked the state government to comply with the Supreme Court direction on payment of arrears to the cane farmers.
The Samajwadi Party is headed for yet another father-son showdown.
Yadav has repeated that the phone-tapping was done on Sonia Gandhi's behest.
"There is no matbhed (difference) or manbhed (ill feelings) among our leaders," Yadav said.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will hear the plea of Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee.
"Police did not open fire at rioters despite a shoot-at-sight order in the riot-torn town and security personnel remained mute spectators to the mayhem," Tripathi said.
'The people here understand that the Congress is not trying to exploit the voter on the basis of their caste, their religion. It wants development.'
While refraining from naming any one of them, he said, "I will disclose their names once the investigation is complete," he said.
Even if a formal alliance fails to come through, the SP still has a "tacit understanding" with the Congress which would continue after the elections as well, party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said today.
Yadav said the killing was the fallout of a gang war.
The Bench on Tuesday dismissed an interim application moved by Yadav seeking a stay of the CBI inquiry till the conclusion of the ensuing polls in the state.
In a major relief to Dr Manmohan Singh-led government, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday ruled out the possibility of mid-term polls, adding that his party will support the United Progressive Alliance government as of now.
The Congress chief addressed a large gathering of party workers at Lalganj in Rae Bareli on the concluding day of her two-day thanksgiving visit to her Lok Sabha constituency.
Taking a 180 degree turn from his previous stance of not approving the Congress and Samajwadi Party's alliance stitched together by his son Akhilesh, Mulayam on Thursday announced that he would campaign for his son, saying, "He is my son after all."
Giving in to opposition parties' protests on withdrawal of National Security Guard cover, the government on Thursday announced that the security cover provided to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad will not be reduced.
Raising a new demand on the women's bill, Samajwadi Party on Monday sought 50 per cent quota to women in educational institutes as well as jobs.