The attempts of Shivpal Singh Yadav to present a united face of the first family of Samajwadi Party on the 81th birthday of Samajwadi party’s founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday failed to take off. Shivpal Yadav and his nephew Akhilesh celebrated the birthday of the patriarch separately.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav celebrated the birthday of his father and party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav with fanfare at SP state office here where the party patron cut a cake amid loud cheers from party workers. SP leaders there presented him with an 81-kilo `laddoo’. Sweets were distributed among the workers in presence of Mulayam.
Shivpal Yadav, on the other hand, rushed to Saifai in Etawah where he celebrated the birthday of his elder brother as Ekta Diwas and also organised a wrestling competition.
Addressing party workers and leaders after cutting the cake, Mulayam Singh Yadav, who arrived here from Delhi on Thursday evening, asked them to celebrate the birthday of the poor party workers.
“You all celebrate the birthday of the poor, and I will also attend it,” he told the enthused workers who raised slogans.
Yadav Senior also asked the workers to strengthen the party. He also claimed that when a woman went to the house of a poor to celebrate a festival in Bundelkhand, the popularity of SP increased.
The SP patriarch attacked the government at the Centre as well as in UP, saying that farmers were in distress and youths were unemployed. “Don’t tolerate injustice and organise yourself to protest against the prevailing situation as this will strengthen the party,” he said.
Earlier, it was said that Mulayam would be in Delhi on his birthday due to the ongoing session of Parliament.
In Lucknow, banners and hoardings were put up outside the party office, which wore a festive look with party workers dancing to the tunes of drums and distributing fruit and sweets.
The SP leadership had directed all the district presidents of the party to organise birthday celebration in their districts.
A week ahead of Mulayam’s birthday, Shivpal Yadav, who is president of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia), had softened his stand towards nephew Akhilesh Yadav and offered to bury the hatchet and join hands with the SP and support Akhilesh as the chief minister candidate in the 2022 UP assembly polls. He had also suggested joint celebration on Mulayam Singh Yadav’s birthday.
Shivpal Yadav and Akhilesh had parted company in 2016, at the fag end of the SP regime. Akhilesh had dismissed his uncle from the cabinet and later took over the control of the party by removing Mulayam Singh Yadav as party chief on January 1, 2017, ahead of the UP assembly elections.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wished Mulayam Singh Yadav on his birthday.
In his two-line tweet, Yogi said, “I wish to the God for his good health and long life.”
Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel also extended birthday greetings to the SP patriarch.
Former Governor of UP Ram Naik also wished Mulayam Singh Yadav on his birthday.