Mulayam 'angry' with me: Akhilesh Yadav at Ramgopal's birthday bash

Samajwadi Party's national president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday admitted that his father and SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav is "angry" with him, and hence did not turn up here for the birthday of his uncle Ramgopal Yadav who turned 71 today.

"Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) is not angry with uncle Ramgopal. He is angry with me. Hence, he did not turn up at today's event," Akhilesh said here, while referring to absence of the SP patriarch from the birthday celebrations.

Mulayam's brother and senior SP MLA Shivpal Singh Yadav, Akhilesh's bitter rival, also did not attend the event. Showering praises on Ramgopal, the former UP chief minister said, "Uncle had worked to take SP forward. He has saved the party and its election symbol (cycle). It was under the leadership and direction of uncle (Ramgopal) that the government was able to accomplish big tasks and development projects".

Akhilesh went on to say, "The biggest expressway from Agra to Lucknow was completed in record 22 months. Can any government make a highway in such a small time duration?" As Ramgopal turned 71, senior SP leaders including Naresh Agarwal, Ahmed Hasan, Balram Yadav and a host of other leaders gathered at Saifai Mahotsava Pandal to wish him.

Former UP minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia described Ramgopal as an umbrella of the party, while Agarwal said that SP will register its protest against the new GST regime which will be rolled out on July 1.