For the first time in several decades, the Samajwadi Party first family headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav stayed away from their home town Saifai in Etawah district on Diwali and celebrated the Festival of Lights separately in Lucknow.
SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, however, once again left his party leaders bewildered by visiting younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav on Diwali and not joining the celebrations with his son Akhilesh Yadav.
Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday evening visited the 6, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg bungalow allotted to Shivpal and took part in puja there along with his wife Sadhana Yadav, younger son Prateek Yadav and daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav.
Akhilesh did not join the family and Mulayam Singh Yadav also did not go to his son’s home. The Yadav clan, as a tradition, has been celebrating important festivals like Holi and Diwali in their home town Saifai. This is the first time that they decided to remain in Lucknow.
Talking to reporters, Mulayam Singh Yadav did not make any political statement but said, “Diwali is celebrated with greater fervour in rural areas compared to urban areas. The government should also pay greater attention to development in villages..”
Shivpal Yadav, obviously delighted at the development, said, “This is the first Diwali of the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP) and also my first Diwali in this new house. Netaji (Mulayam) performed the puja in this house and gave me his blessings.”
It may be recalled that on October 30, Mulayam Singh Yadav had visited Shivpal Yadav’s party office. Later he drove down to the SP office where he met his son Akhilesh Yadav and asked party workers to ensure SP’s victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
At the end of the day, both the factions were perplexed over Mulayam Singh Yadav’s behaviour.