On his 75th birthday Samajwadi Party national president Mulayam Singh Yadav rode a buggy specially brought from England reminding the extravagant birthday celebrations of Mayawati as party’s senior leader Azam Khan courted controversy over funding saying celebration was funded by mafia dons.
“The main function of Mulayam Singh’s birthday is being held in Rampur on Friday while party workers will celebrate the day as `Samata Diwas’ all across the state on Saturday,” SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhry said.
The birthday celebrations had all its pomp and show in Rampur as all the roads in the city were decked up with festoons, banners, coloured balloons and twinkling green-red lights - that form the colour of the party flag. Over 200 gates and welcome arches were set up. The road from airport to Maulana Ali Jauhar University got a fresh coat of paint. Students from over a dozen schools danced to the beat of drums and occasionally shouting slogans Mulayam Singh Yadav zindabad. To ensure participation of these children in this function the district administration has declared a holiday for schools in Rampur.
“It was workers who wished to celebrate Mulayam Singh’s birthday with fanfare. After all it is his 75th birthday,” Chaudhry said.
The specially imported “Victorian Buggy” from England added sheen to the majestic grandeur of the celebrations. All eyes were towards that buggy as Mulayam, his son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam’s younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav and speaker of State Assembly Mata Prasad pandey alongwith Azam Khan squeezed into the buggy.
Sources say initially Mulayam was reluctant to ride the buggy and said that he would ride a car. “Yeh buggy aap ke liye hi aaye hai,” Azam Khan was heard telling Mulayam. Akhilesh too persuaded his father and later hestinantly climbed on the buggy waiving at the crowd.
As the buggy rolled on a cavalcade of 40 cars of ministers in Akhilesh Yadav followed the horse carriage. In all 43 out of 56 ministers in UP cabinet are in attendance in Rampur.
Eyebrows were raised at the scale of celebrations Samajwadi Party had planned for Mulayam Singh’s birthday. Earlier the celebrations used to be low key affair with party holding meeting and workers distributing fruits and sweets among patients in district hospitals.
This year’s birthday celebrations reminded people of Mayawati’s extravagant birthday celebrations which were marked by diamond studded danglers and cake to match her birthday. This time Mulayam Singh Yadav will cut a 75 ft high and 400 kg cake to match his 75th birthday. Over 400 kg of flower has been used to deck up the main pandal, which is said to be constructed at Rs 1 crore
The question from where the money has come made Azam Khan sarcastic and he said: “Taliban ne diya, Dawood ne paisa diya and Abu Salem se bhi paisa aaya hai.”
Irked by the persistent queries from media Khan banned media persons’ entry in the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University where cultural programmes will; be held on Saturday.
The opposition got a hammer to beat Azam Khna with his statement. BJP state spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that such statements only speaks about the frustration of the Samajwadi Party leaders and an effort to cover up the government expenditure misuse by bullying the media.
‘Mulayam should speak why he was celebrating in such a funfare and whether he ceased to be a socialist leader or a disciple of lohia,’ he asked.
However, when whole of the family is in attendance in Rampur Mulayam’s brother Prof Ram Gopal Yadav has preferred to skip the function. He would however attend blood donation camp in Firozabad on Saturday. Mulayam’s younger son Prateek and daughter-in law Aparna too have avoided Rampur bash. Family insiders say tha Prateek and Aparna are in Dubai.