Mulayam visits Shivpal, not son, on Diwali

Lucknow, November 8

Once again Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav left his party leaders baffled as he preferred to celebrate Diwali with younger brother Shivpal Yadav, cold shouldering son Akhilesh.

On Diwali evening, Mulayam visited 6 Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg bungalow of brother Shivpal Yadav that has been allotted to him as the party office of his newly launched Samajwadi Pragatisheel Party (Lohia). Here he participated in the Diwali puja along with wife Sadhana Yadav, younger son Prateek Yadav and younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav stayed away from the family gathering. Nor did Mulayam visit his elder son’s home. By remaining in Lucknow, the Yadav clan has broken the tradition of celebrating festivals like Holi and Diwali at their native Sefai village in Etawah district. Mulayam refused to make any political statement. “Diwali is celebrated with greater fervour in rural areas compared to urban areas. The government should also pay greater attention to the development of villages.” — TNS