Akhilesh Yadav the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister removed his father's favourite brother as a minister. For the second time in the last month, Akhilesh, the 43-year-old Chief Minister, fired uncle Shivpal Yadav as a minister, dramatically escalating the family drama that has enveloped the First Family of the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh just before the state votes.

" The chief minister said in the meeting that whoever is close to Amar Singh cannot be in my cabinet," said Raju Yadav, a Mainpuri lawmaker who attended the meeting called by Akhilesh this morning. Last month Mulayam appointed Amar Singh the National General Secretary of the party, almost six years after he was removed from the party. Along with Shivpal, 61, three other ministers close to him have also been benched.  

Shivpal Yadav said later in the day that Ram Gopal Yadav has been removed from his post of General Secretary "for colluding with the BJP." "Mulayam Yadav is my father. I'll serve him all my life. I don't want to split the party and will participate in the party's 25th anniversary celebrations on November 5," he said at a meeting today.