Shivpal Yadav Expels Akhilesh Loyalist Pawan Pandey From SP

Shivpal’s move to expel Pandey comes a day after SP chief Mulayam projected an ‘all is well’ image of the party.

The feud in the Samajwadi Party shows no signs of ending. State Unit Chief of the party Shivpal Yadav on Wednesday expelled minister Tej Narain Pandey alias Pawan Pandey, who is considered close to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Pawan Pandey had allegedly clashed with SP MLC Ashu Malik at a party meet and also had beaten him up.

Pawan Pandey is being expelled from the Samajwadi Party for six years on charges of indiscipline.

Shivpal Yadav

Shivpal said he has written a letter to the chief minister requesting him to sack Pandey from his ministry. He also maintained that there was no dispute in the Samajwadi Party and the Mulayam family.

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Malik had alleged that he was slapped by Pandey at the chief minister's residence.

Talking to the reporters Malik said that CM Akhilesh Yadav had called him to clarify things related to a news article published in an English daily, in which Akhilesh Yadav was referred to as Aurangzeb and SP Chief Mulayam Singh as Shahjahan. But his presence was misunderstood by others.

When I was at the CM’s residence, party leader Pawan Pandey came and attacked me. He slapped me twice.

Ashu Malik

Malik also said that Akhilesh was not present at his residence when the incident took place.

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Malik has lodged a written complaint against Pandey accusing him of attacking him, but no FIR has been registered in the matter so far.

Shivpal's latest move to expel Pandey, who is close to Akhilesh, comes a day after SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav sought to project an 'all is well' image.

The "party and family are united", he had said.

Mulayam had strongly defended party MP Amar Singh, who is being blamed by the Akhilesh faction for the problems in the family, asking "why drag him in all this"?

My family and party are united. All workers are united. There are some conspirators, who do not have any mass base. There is not ‘matbhed’ (difference) or ‘manbhed’ (ill feelings) among our leaders.

Mulayam Singh Yadav

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Asked whether Shivpal and other sacked ministers would then be reinstated in the Akhilesh cabinet, he had said, "I leave this to the CM... You ask him why he made them ministers and why he sacked them."

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