Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday celebrated his birthday in a low-key event at the party headquarters in Lucknow. This year's celebration was departure from the past when Mulayam's birthdays were known for grand celebrations, where celebrities and supporters used to gather to mark the occasion.
Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday celebrated his birthday in a low-key event at the party headquarters in Lucknow. This year's celebration was departure from the past when Mulayam's birthdays were known for grand celebrations, where celebrities and supporters used to gather to mark the occasion.
Two years ago in 2015, Mulayam's birthday celebration also featured a live performance by Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman at athletics stadium in Saifai. The three-day birthday bash also featured a performance by singer Hariharan.
A year before that, his 75th birthday was hosted by Mulayam's long-time aide Azam Khan at his hometown in Rampur. Khan had imported a very special Victorian 'buggy' from the United Kingdom for the leader, who was given a ride through the main thoroughfare of Rampur town.
His 78th birthday last year, however, was a low-key affair as the two warring factions of the Samajwadi Party wrestled to seize control of the party. The birthday celebrations were later called off due to a train accident and death of a senior party leader.
Today's event was hosted by Mulayam's son and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav at the party headquarters on Vikaramditya Marg, which was tastefully decorated. Akhilesh presented a Kashmiri shawl to father Mulayam and offered sweets. Senior party leaders who were present on the occasion also greeted him.
Akhilesh's uncles Shivpal Singh Yadav and Prof Ram Gopal Yadav skipped the celebrations.
Mulayam was born on November 22, 1939 in Saifai village of Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking on the occasion, Mulayam said that Akhilesh is his son first and leader later. “He is a good boy and performed well as the Chief Minister. My blessings will always be with him,” said Mulayam.
Giving lessons of "samajwad" (socialism) to party workers, Mulayam said, "You should all read Lohiaji. Our party always fought for the cause of women and discrimination on the basis of caste, religion and region."
Later, the father-son duo talked to each other for over an hour and Mulayam was seen giving political tips to Akhilesh.
During this Diwali, Mulayam had attempted to broker ice in the ongoing family feud when the entire Yadav clan had gathered at Saifai. But with both Shivpal Singh Yadav and Prof Ram Gopal Yadav staying away from Mulayam’s birthday celebrations, it seems that power tussle still continues within the Samajwadi Party.
When asked, Shivpal said that he has congratulated ‘netaji’ over phone. Shivpal hinted that he was unhappy as Akhlesh did not invite him. Shivpal also showed reservations on Akhilesh still hobnobbing with the Congress for 2019 Lok Sabha polls. “He has not learnt his lessons from the defeat of 2017,” he pointed.
Mulayam and Akhilesh have not been on best of terms after the son ousted the father from the post of the SP national president in January, just before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Akhilesh was unanimously re-elected the party president at the SP national convention in October this year.
He had claimed to have the blessings of his father, although Mulayam and Shivpal both had skipped the Agra event.
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