Kanpur: Darshan Singh Yadav, a close confidant of Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and party chief Akhilesh Yadav, passed away after prolonged illness at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in Lucknow on early Saturday morning. He was 90 and had been representing Saifai, their native village in Etawah district, for the past 48 years as village ‘pradhan’ (head).
The villagers and other gram panchayat members had been electing him as the ‘pradhan’ unanimously for the Saifai village panchayat since 1972. Keeping the tradition alive, the ‘pradhan’ and panchayat members had elected him in the last panchayat polls also.
It was a known fact that both Mulayam and Akhilesh had made it a point to Darshan whenever they visited their ancestral village to get the feel of Saifai developments. A pall of gloom, meanwhile, descended in and around Saifai following the demise of the senior most Socialist leader of SP.
Akhilesh took a road route to reach Saifai from Delhi to pay condolences. “We have lost one of the eldest Socialist leaders in Darshan Singh Yadav. It’s an irreparable loss not only to Neta ji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) with whom he was very close and was his childhood friend, but to us also. He always stood for the cause of the poor and downtrodden and played a major role as far as development of Saifai is concerned, so much so that Saifai became popular all over the world,” Akhilesh said while garlanding the portrait of Darshan Singh Yadav. SP national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, besides Pragatsheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) president Shivpal Yadav and former Mianpuri MP Tej Pratap and former Badaun MP Dharmendra Yadav expressed their condolence on the death of the senior member of party. “Two generations in Saifai had voted for Darshan popularly known as ‘Daddu’. He’s known for his generosity and simplicity. Till the time he fell ill, he preferred riding a bicycle and was easily accessible,” said Tej Pratap.
“After he was elected unopposed in last panchayat polls, he had become the oldest continuing ‘pradhan’ of the state and even in the country,” he said. “Darshan wanted to make way for the new generation, but every time supporters forced him to file his nomination,” Tej added. “Many a times, Netaji and even Akhilesh offered him ministerial berth, but he always refused saying that he has no big political ambitions,” said Raju, a local of Saifai.
He had also been conferred upon with the prestigious Yash Bharti award in SP regime.
At Saifai Mahotsav and during Holi and Diwali celebrations, Darshan Singh always used to remain on the top of the list of the invitees being prepared by party office-bearers or district authorities.
Also, being the ‘pradhan’ of Netaji’s ancestral village meant Darshan Singh never had to fight for the rights of Saifai or it’s folks. “I never had made any demand from Netaji’ or Akhilesh. Everything is being taken care of by itself,” he had said once. “He was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Lucknow. His medical condition deteriorated in the last 24 hours and despite continuous efforts, the 90-year-old village head of Saifai Darshan Singh Yadav ji passed away,” said SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary.