Riding a modified red Mercedes Benz bus and presenting a united family with father Mulayam Singh and uncle Shivpal Yadav wishing him success, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav kicked off Samajwadi Party’s campaign to retain power in the state where Assembly polls are slated early next year.
“We will reach every person across the state through this campaign and make them aware of the work done by us in the last four and a half years. We have worked in infrastructure, in health and even brought people under social security net. For the development to continue, people should vote us to power again,” Akhilesh Yadav said at a function attended by over 3 lakh people at la Martinmiere College grounds in lucknow on Thursday.
Yadav said that the next poll will change the political scenario of the country in general and that of UP in particular. “I am going to the masses with my report card. I have worked for all sections of the society. If cities have got Metro rail, villages got lohia Awas. Similarly, villages and cities were linked through a wide network of roads,” Yadav elaborated.
Akhilesh appealed to the youth to attend SP’s silver jubilee function on November 5. “There is no `tera’ or `mera’ function. These are party functions. As you have come here in large numbers, you should also attend the November 5 function,” he suggested allaying fears that the youth will not attend the function where the silhouette of a grand alliance could be visible.
The campaign was picture perfect for Samajwadi Party as the first family had witnessed an ugly family feud for the last one month. After Shivpal snatched a microphone from Akhilesh ata party meet and called ‘the CM a liar’ on October 24, there were doubts whether Mulayam and Shivpal would attend the launching of Rath Yatra.
However, the fear was scotched at party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and state SP president Shivpal Singh Yadav graced the occasion.
Mulayam flagged off the Yatra wishing good luck for Akhilesh but atthe same time cautioned young workers not to get swayed. “Ït is a big fight to bring the party back to power. Work hard to achieve your target. Here you are raising slogans but at the time of adversity, do not show your back,” he said.
Shivpal in his brief speech congratulated Akhilesh for the success of the Yatra eliciting a huge applause from the youths. “Samajwadi Party has grown because of efforts of Mulayam Singh Yadav but we should not go astray. I suggest youths to stay within limit. ‘Josh ke sath hosh nahi khona chaiyahe,” he said indirectly hitting out at the youths raising slogans at the function.
Shivpal announced that the party would not allow the BJP to form the government in UP at any cost. “The Samajwadi Party will form the next government,” Shivpal said.
This was the first occasion for Akhilesh Yadav to demonstrate his strength after several ofhis supporters were expelled from the party. A large number of supporters came down from native place of Etawah joined the show in lucknow.
Originally scheduled to be flagged off from the state SP office on October 3, the Rath Yatra had to be postponed due to feud within the SP’s first family that led to the dismissal of Shivpal from the cabinet and expulsion of Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav from the party.
life size photos of the CM and SP chief alongwith pictures of veteran Socialist leaders like Ram Manohar lohia and Janeshwar Mishra adorn the Rath but Shivpal’s photos were conspicuously missing. His name and photo were also missing from posters and banners.
The Yatra which started from la Martiniere College Ground, concluded at Shuklaganj town of neighbouring Unnao district. Its second leg will begin from Kanpur after the party’s silver jubilee function on November 5.The route was decked up in red and green party colours, with banners, posters and hoardings, carrying photographs of Mulayam, Akhilesh and his wife Dimple Yadav.
SP’ tryst with Rath Yatra goes back to 1988-89, when Mulayam led a ‘Kranti Yatra’ across UP targeting the Congress. He had used a motorised ‘rath’ that was gifted to him by late deputy Prime Minister Devi lal.