Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) will celebrate ‘Sardar Patel Kisan Samman Week’ between October 25 and 31 across Uttar Pradesh on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel. Giving details, RLD national spokesman Anil Dubey said that the celebration would start on October 25 with RLD vice-president Jayant Chaudhary starting a march in Allahabad accompanied by state RLD chief Masood Ahmad.

Dubey added that RLD leaders and workers would honour farmers in their respective districts/blocks/villages during the week. “Party workers and leaders have been asked to organise ‘chaupals’, meetings and marches to highlight issues related to farmers during the celebrations,” he informed.

Praising Sardar Patel for leading and successfully carrying out Bardoli Satyagrah, Dubey said that the iconic leader was a great supporter of farmers and worked to better their lives till his end. “Senior RLD leaders have been asked to highlight farmer-related issues during the week and make the functions successful,” the RLD leader said.

Even as party leaders evaded queries as to why the RLD was focusing on Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary and why the function was being started from Allahabad, party sources said that the RLD leaders aimed at bringing farmers of east UP, Bundelkhand and central UP under its wings after consolidating in its stronghold of west UP. “The proposed celebration is also a counter to BJP’s caste rallies which was held at different districts in recent past. The RLD leaders aim to bite into traditional vote banks of the BJP and the Samajwadi Party and also have aims at wooing followers of Sardar Patel,” sources said. They explained that RLD leaders did not want to be seen as an appeaser of a particular community and so it was celebrating Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary to highlight farmers’ woes.