Azam plans Victorian-era buggy for Mulayam

It’s going to be a day that will make many of his ilk feel jealous.The Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav will be celebrating his 75th birthday in a royal style. Mulayam’s close aide and senior SP leader from Rampur, Azam Khan has made sure that Mulayam remembers the day throughout his life.

Sources said Khan has requisitioned a special Victorian-era buggy (horse cart) from London to take Mulayam and his son Akhilesh Yadav, through the streets of Rampur on Nov 21, a day before his 75th birthday.

The SP chief’s journey will start from the district magistrate’s residence and end at Maulana Mohammed Ali Jauhar University covering a distance of 14 kilometres.
“It will take Mulayam and Chief Minister Akhilesh over three hours to cover the distance,” said an SP leader from Rampur.

The local officials said over 100 arches will be prepared through which the cavalcade of Mulayam will pass.

“Flower petals will be showered on him at the arches,” they added.
The entire town of Rampur, Azam Khan’s home district, has been painted in red (SP colour) and flooded with banners and posters hailing Mulayam as a great socialist leader.
A host of cultural programmes will also be organised. Late in the evening, Mulayam will lay the foundation stone of the proposed medical college at the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, a brainchild of Azam Khan.

While the SP leaders find nothing wrong in celebrating the birthday of their leader in such a way, the opposition has termed it as ‘waste of money’.

“Where is the money going to come from? After all it will be the public money. It is wastage of money and nothing else,” said a senior BJP leader here.