Preparations for celebration of Mulayam Singh Yadav's birthday in Rampur
Mulayam Singh Yadav, recently in the news for hosting new efforts to revive the socialist "Janata parivar", will be 75 tomorrow and his Samajwadi Party has planned a grand two-day birthday bash beginning today.
The show-stopper will be the party chief riding an imported Victorian buggy through the Uttar Pradesh town of Rampur, which looks like Christmas came early. Bunches of red and white balloons line spruced-up roads along with big banners wishing Mr Yadav. Dividers have a new lick of paint. A 100 "welcome gates" have been put up.
Mr Yadav will cut a 75-feet-long cake at midnight after attending a performance by popular singers Hans Raj Hans and the Sabri brothers. His son and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav will join the celebrations.
Senior UP minister Azam Khan, who is organising the show in his hometown, courted controversy by saying sarcastically, "The Taliban has funded it," when asked who has paid for the extravagant birthday party.
The BJP has accused the Samajwadi Party of spending government money. "Things which Mulayam Singh used to criticize himself, how is he accepting it now?" asked state BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak, adding, "His birthday is being celebrated with government money. Water is not available in schools for children, but they cannot think of that."
Rampur's top government official, district magistrate CP Tripathi has said, "All departments are working to ensure it is a grand welcome." And Mr Khan had earlier indicated state participation when he said, "Last time we had welcomed him in a vintage car, this time for our leader we have imported a Victorian buggy. On the route, the cultural department is organising plays and other programmes."
UP will vote for a new assembly in 2017 and after a drubbing in the national elections, Mulayam has exhorted regional parties like his to fight together against the BJP's aggressive political onslaught in states.
After a meeting at his Delhi residence recently, Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal United said parties which have roots in the socialist Janata Party, would form a pressure group in parliament and hinted that they could even come together later as a single party.