SP will celebrate Akhilesh Yadav's 46th birthday tomorrow

| | Lucknow | in Lucknow

Apparently following the footsteps of Congress president Rahul Gandhi adopting `soft Hindutuva’ during Gujarat and Karnataka Assembly polls, the Samajwadi Party will celebrate the 46th birthday of party chief Akhilesh Yadav by organizing puja at Hanuman temple and `Sunder Kand Paath’ on Sunday.  Akhilesh is abroad along with his family and is expected to return on July 9.

SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said in Lucknow on Saturday that the SP chief’s birthday will be celebrated across the state sans extravaganza. He said that `havan, poojan’ will be held at several placeson the occasions. Fruits will be distributed to leprosy patients in hospital and `bhandara’ will also be organized.

Chaudhary said that the youth of the party are particularly are enthusiastic about celebrating the SP chief’s birthday.

SP’s youth outfit Samajwadi Yuvajan Sabha will organize special worship at Hanuman temple in Hazratganj (Lucknow) and a bhandara (community feast). 

Senior SP leader and vice-president Kironmoy Nanda, state SP chief Naresh Uttam, MLC SRS Yadav and other leaders will attend the programme. 

The SP has also organized the recitation of `sunder Kand’ of Ramayana at Hanuman Setu temple opposite Lucknow University.

After its crushing defeat in 2017 Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party is treading cautiously to shed its pro-Muslim image. 

In May and June, the SP organized `bhandara’ every Tuesday to celebrate `Bada Mangal’ at the state SP office at Vikramaditya Marg where senior party leaders served food to the common people.