Mulayam Singh cut a cake at the party office in the presence of his son, grandchildren
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav today celebrated the 80th birthday of party founder and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The former Defence Minister cut a cake at the party office in the presence of his son, grandchildren, and senior party leaders Kiranmoy Nanda and Bhagwati Singh.
Akhilesh Yadav, who in a coup of sorts dethroned his father as party chief in December 2016 after a bitter feud within the Yadav clan and party, shared the celebration pictures on his official Twitter account, hailing his father as a leader who had shown his supporters and followers the path of truthfulness and non-violence.
The party office at the Vikramaditya Marg was decked up, with posters and hoardings carrying pictures of Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav dotting the entire stretch.
Akhilesh Yadav wished Mulayam Singh on his birthday on Twitter
"I congratulate 'Netaji' on his birthday. He taught us all to follow Gandhiji's path of truth and non-violence, Lohiaji's ideology of identifying ills to remove them and also that trust is the biggest wealth in human relations," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister tweeted.
Another celebration to mark the day is being organised by Mulayam Singh's younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav.
PSPL workers organised blood donation, sweets distribution and other events, observing the day as "Dharma Nirpekshta Divas" (Secularism Day).
Mulayam Singh Yadav's birthday was celebrated separately by Shivpal Yadav
He has organised a grand 'dangal' (wrestling competition) at Saifai, their native village. His newly-launched party, the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP), is also holding several events across the state to mark Mulayam's birthday.
Akhilesh Yadav's son wished his grandfather on his birthday
Both factions have repeatedly claimed that Mulayam Singh Yadav's "blessings" are with them.
The party, which Mulayam Singh formed 25 years ago, has split between Akhilesh and Shivpal Singh Yadav, with the family patriarch vacillating between his son and younger brother in his support for them.