Diwali festivities fail to thaw ice in Yadav clan

Diwali festivities, lights of joy, and sweets, failed to thaw the strained relations in the Yadav clan in Uttar Pradesh.

Breaking away from the established family tradition this year, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, did not go to his native village Sefai to celebrate the festival. The SP patriarch has been celebrating all festivals in his village since many decades.

But this time he chose to remain in Lucknow and met party workers at his residence. His office cited ill health as the reason.

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav went to Sefai on Diwali eve, met his uncles, expelled SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav and Rajpal Yadav. He also visited his aunt and returned to Lucknow on Sunday afternoon. Party chief Shivpal Singh Yadav, on the other hand , left for Sefai on Sunday afternoon after meeting Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The CM celebrated Diwali at his new residence on 4, Vikramaditya Marg, but “did not meet or wish uncle Shivpal and his family”.

Both the CM and Shivpal Yadav did not send out customary sweets to friends, party leaders and senior bureaucrats either — an indication that they were not in a mood for real celebrations.

Sources said both the leaders are busy making preparations for their respective events “being touted as a show of strength”. Akhilesh Yadav is giving final touches to his ‘Vikas se Vijay Tak’ rath yatra, which will begin from Lucknow on November 3 and pass through Unnao to Kanpur.

The rath yatra cavalcade will have more than 5,000 SUVs and trucks that will signify the popularity of the CM and send a message to the party leadership that he is the most acceptable face of the party.

Akhilesh loyalists, including the expelled SP leaders, are working overtime to make it one of the biggest political shows of recent times.

The second function, which marks the SP’s silver jubilee event will be held on November 5. Though Mulayam Singh Yadav has sent out invitations to all “secular and like-minded” leaders of various parties, including RLD, RJD and JD(U), chances of these leaders making it to the event are remote since the event coincides with ‘Chhath Puja’, one of the biggest festivals in Bihar.

Moreover, a large number of Akhilesh loyalists are likely to boycott the event in view of the strife in the party.