Even as Samajwadi Party president, Mulayam Singh, thanked senior party leader Mohammad Azam Khan for organising his 75th birthday celebrations in Rampur, he made it clear that honour (samman) and respect should be given to the poor.
Meanwhile, upon his arrival in Lucknow from Rampur on Saturday, Mr. Singh was accorded a grand reception at the Samajwadi Party headquarters.
Blood donation camps
He was greeted by party leaders and workers and he cut a four-tier birthday cake to loud cheers. Those present included the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav, and other leaders and Ministers. Mr. Singh’s birthday was celebrated across the State as “Samta Diwas” (day of equality) with blood donation camps being organised by the party and fruits, blankets and sarees distributed to the poor.
Mr. Singh made a determined bid to blunt all criticism surrounding the pomp and grandeur of his birthday bash and sought to reinforce his party’s commitment to the cause of the poor and deprived sections.
At a public meeting in Mohammad Ali Jauhar University campus in Rampur on Saturday, Mr Singh said serious thought should be given to help women, the poor, the unemployed and those who have no roofs over their head. “About 27 to 28 crore people in the country do not get two square meals a day,” Mr. Singh said.
Almost the entire state Cabinet was present at the meeting but that did not stop Mr. Singh from admonishing the Ministers for not developing their villages and ensuring good roads, electricity and water. Mere announcements were not enough, solid work has to be done, he added.
Mr. Singh cited his home village, Saifai, in Etawah district as a case in point and said Saifai has good roads and a college.
While reiterating that minorities are the most backward of all communities in the State, he said special focus would be given to the welfare of Sikhs, Muslims and Christians.
Lavishing praises on Mr. Khan, Mr. Singh recollected the days when the two together formed the Samajwadi Party. Stating that Rampur has to be developed as a model district, Mr. Singh said work would begin in fifteen days. He also laid the foundation stone for a medical college in Rampur.
In his speech, Mr. Yadav said “Netaji” ( Mulayam ) is known for his “charkha daon” (in wrestling ), now the “buddhi daon” (use of mind) had to be applied to drive the demons out.
At the stroke of midnight on Friday, Mr. Singh cut a 75- feet-long cake at the Jauhar University guest house.
