New Delhi, January 6
Amar Singh, the face of Samajwadi Party for over a decade, suddenly quit all party posts on Wednesday citing health reasons but hinting at parting company with SP and its chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Amar Singh faxed his resignation from Dubai and cited “health reasons”. "I have resigned from all the three posts and faxed my resignation to Mulayam Singh,” said the 54-year-old SP spokesman.

Mulayam’s evident cold reaction to the resignation indicated that Yadav may not dissuade him from quitting the party. On record, Singh maintained there was nothing wrong. “There is no political motive behind my resignation and I am doing so strictly as per the advice of my doctors, who have asked me to take complete rest as I have just undergone a major kidney transplant operation."

He said, "Family and my health comes first for me. Doctors have advised me complete rest and it is not possible to adhere to their advice while following such a hectic schedule. Therefore, I decided to resign from all the three posts,” suggesting the name of Ram Gopal Yadav to replace him. It is well known in SP circles that Ram Gopal used to be second in order of importance in the SP before Amar Singh eclipsed him. With Amar quitting, Yadav’s eminence in the SP may be restored.

Amar Singh said he would be going from Dubai to Singapore where he may be till the middle of January for his health checkup. “My doctors said you are not well and you are living on somebody else's kidney. Ever since I came back, there has been no change in my lifestyle and there is no division of labour in the party,” Singh said, adding, "I had been giving more priority to Mulayam Singh Yadav and the party. After 20 years, I should look after my children, wife and their welfare, over and above that of Mulayam Singh and the party."

He also did not rule out joining any other party. "I don't know what is in store for me," but added, “I am not quitting politics I am not in a position to discharge my responsibilities in SP.”

Meanwhile, Mulayam, too, did not rule out accepting Amar Singh’s resignation and while denying direct knowledge of the letter said he would speak in details about the entire episode after ascertaining all the facts. He also downplayed its significance saying, "He has resigned only from the post of general secretary and not from the party."

While denying any differences between the two, Mulayam ruled out asking Amar to take back his resignation saying, "We don't share such a relationship."

Singh, who had started having jurisdictional problems with Mulayam’s son Akhilesh Yadav, his younger brother Shivpal Yadav and cousin Ram Gopal Yadav soon after the General Election, was holding the posts of national general secretary, spokesman and member of the parliamentary board.

He had resigned twice earlier during the General Election protesting against the virulent attack by the party’s Muslim face, Mohammad Azam Khan, on SP’s Rampur MP, Jayaprada. Eventually, Mulayam Singh stood by Amar Singh, forcing Azam Khan to resign from all party posts.

But the elections showed sections of Muslim electorate moving away from SP to Congress, alarming Mulayam. He tried to undo the damage by breaking his short-lived kinship with former chief minister Kalyan Singh.

Simultaneously, Mulayam’s confidants advised him to rein in Amar Singh, whose unbridled powers in the SP had led many old associates like Beni Prasad Verma, KC Tyagi and Salim Shervani to leave.