MHP's Semih Yalçın lashes out at Yeni Şafak columnist İhsan Aktaş: Accuses him of being a 'FETÖ stooge'

Having targeted 154 individuals—ranging from politicians and journalists to legal experts and academics—in relation to the Sinan Ateş case, the MHP has now set its sights on İhsan Aktaş, a Yeni Şafak columnist and owner of the GENAR research company, known for his proximity to the AKP.

MHP Deputy Chairman Semih Yalçın, in a post on the X platform, accused İhsan Aktaş of being a "FETÖ stooge." In his statement titled, "We have a few words for FETÖ stooges like İhsan Aktaş," Yalçın criticized Aktaş's views on nationalist politics and stated the following:

"GENAR President İhsan Aktaş, known for hatching self-proclaimed interpretations and sociological(!) inferences in the field of thought and politics, has inferred that there is a fragmentation and void in nationalist politics on the right wing. Ignoring the struggle waged by the MHP, which has embedded the idea of nationalism into the collective conscience in every field, especially in Turkish political life, İhsan Aktaş is actually expressing not a truth, but a utopian hope."

Stating that Aktaş advocates for a formation that excludes the MHP from the nationalist school of thought, Yalçın used the following expressions: "The words of İhsan Aktaş and his ilk show that FETÖ, which has been conducting perception operations for years to expand opposition to the cause of Turkish nationalism—of which the MHP is the standard-bearer in Turkey—has made significant progress. All of these are FETÖ stooges... It is clear that FETÖ-ism leads to political delirium and a coma of thought and belief in some politicians, intellectuals, journalists, and thinkers..."

RESPONSE FROM İHSAN AKTAŞ

In response to Yalçın's accusations, İhsan Aktaş issued a statement on the X platform, asserting that he had been misunderstood. Addressing Yalçın, Aktaş said, "Mr. Semih, if you would like, take another look at what I said," and added:

"I said that because the IYI Party's vote share has fallen to 3.5 percent, a new formation might emerge on the nationalist right toward 2028. This is my opinion; it may be right or wrong. Furthermore, I have never made a defense in my life. I have written strongly about what the People's Alliance represents in this country. I won't even get into the FETÖ issue. I come from the National View (Milli Görüş) tradition; I am an enemy to the roots of these people. I wish you had asked party officials who I am."