Don’t compare party leaders with any revered figure: Akhilesh to SP cadre

A day after a poster was put up outside Samajwadi Party office here, featuring the split faces of party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Dr BR Ambedkar, the SP president on Thursday asked his party workers and supporters to not draw comparisons between its leaders and national icons.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Yadav said, “We express our heartfelt gratitude to all our supporters and party workers for their love, affection and dedication. However, we also make a very sensitive appeal that no party leader should ever be compared to or equated with any divine and venerable personality in any context.”

He also cautioned them against creating or circulating any images, idols, songs or statements that suggest such comparisons. “Divine personalities and great men are far above any comparison,” the SP chief added.

“We spoke to our worker who had put up that poster and he realised his mistake. We have told everyone not do any such thing in future. But will the BJP people also tell this to their leaders and workers” Yadav asked.

On Centre’s recent announcement to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census, he said: “We are happy that at least the first step has been taken in the direction of social justice. It is result of 90% PDA people coming together. It is an important phase in our fight for social justice.”

Meanwhile, many people, including former national chief of Yuva Lok Dal Wasim Raja, joined the SP in presence of Yadav at party headquarters.

Protest against ‘death threats’ to Suman

The Samajwadi Party on Thursday staged protests at all party district headquarters across Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, against the continuous death threats allegedly being issued to party’s Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Lal Suman, the attack on his residence and convoy, the ‘increasing incidents of harassment of the PDA community in Uttar Pradesh’ and the ‘deteriorating law and order situation’.

A memorandum was submitted to the President through the district magistrates in this regard. In the state capital, SP workers led by party’s Lucknow unit chief Fakhir Siddiqui gathered at SP’s Mahanagar office in Qaiserbagh. They later walked to the Collectorate and submitted a memorandum to the President of India through the DM.

Party MLAs Ravidas Mehrotra and Armaan Khan, former mayoral candidate Madhu Gupta, Vandana Mishra, SP Lucknow metropolitan media in-charge Gaurav Singh Yadav, party’s youth brigade state president Anees Raja and state general secretary Prem Prakash Verma were part of the protest in Lucknow.