Mulayam turns 78: No public function owing to train tragedy
22 November, Lucknow
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav turned 78 today with people from all walks of the life wishing him on his birthday.
However, the leader will not be celebrating his birthday in view of the Uttar Pradesh train tragedy in which over 149 people were killed.
Mr Yadav, who is in Delhi to attend Parliament, was wished by Amar Singh and other senior leaders along with large numbers of party supporters at his residence this morning. Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav too wished him.
Yesterday, in a directive to all the district party office-bearers, Mr Yadav asked them not to celebrate his birthday. Instead, they should serve the victims of yesterday’s train accident and the needy. According to party UP president Shivpal Singh Yadav, “Netaji was very sad about the train accident and hence decided not to celebrate his birthday this year.”
But the entire Lucknow has been covered with big hoardings and posters as SP leaders wished their president on his birthday.
Earlier, it was also announced that both the factions of the party would celebrate the birthday separately. While the Akhilesh Yadav group was planning to hold several programmes at the newly built Janeshwar Mishra Trust, the rival Shivpal Yadav had announced to celebrate at the state party office.
Till 2015, the birthday of the party supremo was celebrated only at the state office of the Samajwadi party on Vikramaditya Marg. However, on the eve of his birthday yesterday, Mulayam was present at a function to inaugurate the country’s longest Lucknow- Agra expressway along with his son and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in Unnao. In a show of family unity too, Shivpal Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav too had attended the function and even showed their bonhomie.
The last birthday of Mulayam was celebrated in a grand way in his native village Saifai in Etawah district where renowned singer and musician A R Rahman and his troupe performed.
In 2014, Mulayam celebrated his birthday eve at Rampur, where SP leader Mohammad Azam Khan organised a grand function and even the SP president and other leaders traveled in a British time chariot.