Lucknow, Jan 12 (UNI) The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will celebrate party president Mayawati's 65th birthday on January 15 as 'Jan Kalyankari Diwas' in a simple manner, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
BSP earlier used to celebrate the occasion in a grand manner and used to collect fund for the party, but after it faced intense criticism on the issue, it started celebrating the day as 'Jan Kalyankari Diwas'.
According to party sources here on Tuesday, Ms Mayawati has directed the party leaders and workers to make her birthday celebration a low-key affair and use the occasion to help migrants, farmers, labourers and the poor people, who are facing problems due to the economic slowdown.
Under the Jan Kalyankari Diwas programme, the BSP leaders will assist the needy, poor and the handicapped.
'We will visit villages and hospitals to distribute sweets and fruits,' said a BSP leader.
She also asked the party leaders to follow the COVID-19 protocol announced by the government during her birthday celebration. There would be no gathering or assembly of workers, the party said.
Ms Mayawati has been staying in Delhi since the pandemic began and there is no programme yet of her coming to Lucknow on her birthday. She is holding regular review meetings to gear up the party cadre for the 2022 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
She has directed the party officers to strengthen the party organisation at the booth level and make efforts to win back the support of Brahmins, backward classes and Muslims, in order to regain the lost ground.
Party leaders said there was no order yet from the party high command about financial contribution to the party fund, which has been a regular practice on Ms Mayawati's earlier birthdays.
BSP has been losing ground in Uttar Pradesh. The party did not win any seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. It bagged 19 seats in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls and 10 in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, when it had an alliance with the Samajwadi Party, but parted ways with SP soon after the results were declared.
Earlier in October this year, BSP faced a revolt, when seven of its MLAs crossed over to the Samajwadi Party on the eve of the Rajya Sabha biennial elections. Ms Mayawati later suspended all the seven MLAs.
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