Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav’s grandnephew Tej Pratap’s ‘tilak’ ceremony in Etawah on February 21. In view of Modi’s expected visit, his security team on Wednesday visited the venue and reviewed the arrangements. Apart from the Prime Minister, around 1.25 lakh invitees, including the country’s movers and shakers, are expected to attend the ceremony as Mulayam has extended invitations to top leaders of the country, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Tej Pratap will be married to the RJD leader lalu Prasad’s youngest daughter Raj lakshmi in Saifai. The Prime Minister has accepted the invitation extended by the SP chief.last week, Mulayam Singh had attended BJP president Amit Shah’s son’s wedding reception in New Delhi on February 16. To oversee the security arrangements, Uttar Pradesh DGP AK Jain visited the native village of the SP chief, Saifai in Etawah.
“As the Prime Minister and several of his ministerial colleagues are expected to take part in the ceremony, the DGP took stock of the preparations,” IG (Public Grievance) Mutha Jain said in lucknow. IG (Kanpur zone) and the range’s DIG also accompanied the DGP, Jain said, adding, the DGP reviewed the security arrangements for the VVIP invitees, traffic and other details. The Prime Minister’s security team also visited the venue and reviewed the security arrangements.
“Though there is no official confirmation of the Prime Minister’s visit, advance security teams of the PM have reached Saifai, where the tilak ceremony is to be held. I have not yet received official programme of the PM,” District Magistrate, Etawah, Nitin Bansal, said. Tej Pratap has just entered lok Sabha from the family stronghold of Mainpuri after Mulayam vacated the seat. Tej Pratap was born to late Ranveer Singh Yadav and Mridula Yadav on November 21, 1987 in Saifai village of Etawah district. The marriage, coming on the heels of the announcement that Mulayam and lalu will come together to revive the Janata Dal, is being viewed by political observers as the prelude to the mega merger that the Janata Dal and Janata Parivar breakaways are planning.
The two party chiefs had split during the 1990s for leadership of the Mandal classes and Mulayam had even publicly regretted when lalu vetoed his name for prime ministership in the United Front Government in 1997.