In a break from the past strident anti-English stance, the Samajwadi Party’s official mouthpiece ‘Samajwadi Bulletin’, has for the first time published an article in English.
The signed article by party president Akhilesh Yadav is an attempt to reach out to the millennials and new voter groups in English for the first time.
The SP has made this move after consolidating its position in Uttar Pradesh by winning 37 Lok Sabha seats in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
The article informs the readers the logic behind fielding fresh faces like Iqra Hasan, Priya Saroj and Pushpendra Saroj, all MPs, in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
Given its status as the third largest political party of India with 37 MPs, the SP is seen taking a step forward by embracing English in the Samajwadi Bulletin to establish itself as a pan-India voice and for reaching out to non-Hindi speaking states.
Apart from the party’s growing ambitions under the foreign educated Akhilesh Yadav, it also marks a generational change for the party founded by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav in October 1992.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, after becoming chief minister of UP for the first time in 1989 as leader of Janata Dal, had launched an anti-English campaign. The move was against the use of English as medium of education as well as language used by the government institutions.
The SP was also against computerisation and in the 2009 Lok Sabha election, the party in its manifesto had opposed the use of computers arguing that it was limiting the employment avenues.
While Akhilesh still restricts himself to Hindi when it comes to connecting with the masses much like his father who was known as son of the soil, the SP chief seems to have taken the plunge for reaching out to non-Hindi speakers and, more importantly, young voters.
The June edition of the party’s monthly magazine features a picture of Akhilesh holding a cycle titled ‘Chaa gaya Akhilesh (It’s Akhilesh all over)’, with a message encapsulating his vision behind fielding a significant number of young candidates.
The message appears after detailed profile pieces on Iqra Hasan (Kairana), Priya (Machhlishahr) and Pushpendra (Kaushambi). Elected to Parliament at the age of 25 years. Pushpendra has broken the record of ex-Keonjhar MP Chandrani Murmu to become the youngest MP in the country.
“Party president Akhilesh Yadav said that he decided in favour of Iqra, Priya and Pushpendra because they are young and they will be able to better understand the new challenges that exist in modern society,” the bulletin reads.
“Iqra is from a political family, she is well-educated, young, people know her, she knows how to speak, give a speech,” it quotes Akhilesh as saying.
The piece recalls Akhilesh meeting Pushpendra and his father, Indrajit Saroj.
“Pushpendra’s age was becoming an issue and for this reason his father was a bit hesitant. However, the (SP) president told Indrajit, ‘aap ladaiye apne ladke ko (you let your son fight)’, and to Pushpendra, “lado kuchh nahi hota (fight, there would be no any harm)’. He won by more than one lakh votes,” it notes.
He has rejected the accusations of nepotism given that all the three MPs come from political families. “These elections were very crucial and if a family member wants to come into politics, and because it is amongst the people that they are going to struggle, they are going to prove themselves, so I gave them the opportunity to do so. And the people have clearly accepted them,” the bulletin notes.
SP chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary admitted that it was indeed for the first time that a message appeared in the Samajwadi Bulletin in English and that too from its national leadership.
“Samajwadi Party’s thoughts are national and now, messages will appear in the Samajwadi Bulletin in English, too. Akhileshji was the first leader in the country to distribute laptops for free to young students. SP has always encouraged Indian languages, but even Chaudhary Charan Singhji wrote over a dozen books in English, which were later translated into Hindi,” he said.
“The SP has always given priority to Hindi and Indian languages. But in the new system, English too will be used wherever needed. Keeping in view the new generation and technology, where people mostly use English, the party wants to ensure that our policies reach them too as well those adopting the new system. Our basic character remains the same, that Hindi and Indian languages be prioritised,” he said.
Former SP MP Rewati Raman Singh, said that the SP was an all-India level party and embracing English in the party bulletin was a step forward towards the goal.
“These days all work is happening in English and the youth especially are more comfortable in the language. Akhilesh Yadav is a national leader, and it is natural that he will connect with the national audience,” he added.
