Lucknow: Samajwadi Party drama, feud between Akhilesh and Shivpal continued on Wednesday. With rival factions led by CM Akhilesh Yadav and the party’s Uttar Pradesh chief Shivpal Yadav upping the ante and leaving no opportunity to attack each other through proxies.

On Wednesday, while Shivpal sacked minister Pawan Pandey, considered close to Akhilesh, from the party for assaulting MLC Ashu Malik and expected the CM to drop him from the ministry, Akhilesh was yet to act. Also, 24 hours after party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav said the CM would take a call on Shivpal’s reinstatement in the ministry, Akhilesh was yet to respond.

The drift was amplified when Akhilesh signalled his autonomy by releasing details of his tour through the Janeshwar Mishra Trust rather than the SP.

This came after Akhilesh held two meetings, one with youth leaders and party legislators, including those who were expelled for defying Mulayam and Shivpal, and the other with members of the Janeshwar Mishra Trust to finalise details of his tour. The party has so far not heeded Akhilesh’s appeal to take back the expelled young leaders.