Mulayam skips Ramgopal's birthday bash, Akhilesh says 'he is angry with me'

SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav on skipped the birthday bash of his brother Ramgopal Yadav who turned 71 on Thursday. Referring to the SP patriarch’s absence, his son Akhilesh Yadav admitted that his father is angry with him and hence did not turn up for the celebrations.

“Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) is not angry with uncle Ramgopal. He is angry with me. Hence, he did not turn up at today’s event,” Akhilesh said here, while referring to absence of the SP patriarch from the birthday celebrations.

Mulayam’s brother and senior SP MLA Shivpal Singh Yadav, who happens to be a bitter rival of Akhilesh, also did not attend the event.

Showering praises on Ramgopal, the former UP chief minister said, “Uncle had worked to take SP forward. He has saved the party and its election symbol (cycle). It was under the leadership and direction of uncle (Ramgopal) that the government was able to accomplish big tasks and development projects”.

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Akhilesh went on to say, “The biggest expressway from Agra to Lucknow was completed in record 22 months. Can any government make a highway in such a small time duration?”

As Ramgopal turned 71, senior SP leaders including Naresh Agarwal, Ahmed Hasan, Balram Yadav and a host of other leaders gathered at Saifai Mahotsava Pandal to wish him.

Former UP minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia described Ramgopal as an umbrella of the party, while Agarwal said that SP will register its protest against the new GST regime which will be rolled out on July 1. 

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(With inputs from PTI)