Published 10:03 IST, August 2nd 2020
Akhilesh sets aside past discord; breaks silence on Amar Singh's demise
SP president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday paid his condolences to former party member Amar Singh remarking that he had always been 'deprived' of his affection
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday sent in his condolences to former party member Amar Singh remarking that he has now been 'deprived' of his care and affection. "Being deprived of Amar Singhji's affection and care, my heartfelt condolences and tributes," said Akhilesh Yadav in a tweet posting a picture of the two together along with party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The former Samajwadi Party leader passed away on Saturday in a hospital in Singapore. Singh had been ailing at the Singapore hospital for the past six months. He was 64 and had undergone a kidney transplant in 2013.
Strained ties between Akhilesh Yadav and Amar Singh
Differences between Akhilesh Yadav and Amar Singh and the former's rise in the party ranks was seen as a big cause for tensions between the duo which ultimately resulted in Amar Singh's bitter fallout with the Samajwadi Party. After floating his own party - Rashtriya Lok Manch in 2011, which failed to garner the public's support, Singh rejoined the Samajwadi Party in 2016, getting elected to the Rajya Sabha amid stiff opposition from Akhilesh Yadav.
The former Samajwadi Party general secretary was also blamed for the fallout of estranged brother Shivpal Singh Yadav with the SP with Akhilesh Yadav calling out the role an 'outsider' in the crisis for turning relationships sour. Amar Singh had hit out at Akhilesh during the latter's tensions with patriarch Mulayam Singh dubbing him as "Aurangzeb" who wanted to abuse his father 'Shah Jahan' for power and politics.
Amar Singh's political career
Singh himself was elected to the Rajya Sabha four times - in 1996, 2002,2008 and 2016. He held several posts on several parliamentary commissions since then but was most known as SP's go-to man for swinging political support to SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in Delhi. He shot to fame when he saved the UPA-1 government by pledging support of 39 MPs when it was reduced to a minority as CPI withdrew its support to the coalition over the proposed Nuclear Accord with the United States. Moreover, Singh had also managed to talk Mulayam Singh Yadav against supporting UPA-1's coalition in the beginning when Dr Manmohan Singh had been named Prime Minister.
Updated 10:03 IST, August 2nd 2020