Shortly after Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh said in Kolkata on Sunday that he would not accept Amar Singh’s resignation, another general secretary Obaidullah Azmi announced his resignation in Nagpur. He is the third general secretary to quit.
Actor Sanjay Dutt also quit as general secretary on Saturday evening. Both Mr. Dutt and Mr. Azmi declared that they had resigned in solidarity with Mr. Amar Singh. “Those who advised Mr. Amar Singh to stay within the party discipline are themselves crossing the limits,” Mr. Azmi, a former Rajya Sabha member, told The Hindu. He said he would send in his resignation letter to the party chief after returning to New Delhi on Monday.
On Saturday, Mr. Mulayam Singh’s brother and general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav suggested that the party accept Mr. Amar Singh’s resignation.
The move was seen as the party testing the waters, and Mr. Amar Singh quickly reacted on his blog. In a post on Saturday night, Mr. Amar Singh talked about his contributions to the party; how hard he worked in the Lok Sabha elections, despite his poor health, and this was not recognised by the party. He also wrote about how he helped senior leader Janeshwar Mishra get re-elected to the Rajya Sabha when he was falling short of a few votes.
Mr. Dutt’s resignation, said to have been announced at the behest of Mr. Amar Singh, was construed by party leaders as a “pressure tactic” by Mr. Amar Singh.
