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SP holds ‘bhandaras’, begins plantation drive to mark Akhilesh’s birthday
SP celebrates Akhilesh Yadav's birthday with sapling plantation, community feasts, blood donation camps, and cake-cutting in all districts of UP.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) started a week-long statewide sapling plantation drive and organised “Bhandaras” (community feasts), blood donation camps, sapling distribution and cake-cutting at party offices in all districts of the state to mark the 51st birthday of its president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday.
At the SP state headquarters in Lucknow, many party workers and leaders greeted Akhilesh Yadav and gifted him various things, including saplings, in the morning.
Thanking all, he then talked about the “PDA sapling” plantation drive and said in his speech: “The PDA connects all. It is an apt reply to the RSS (the BJP’s parent body Rashtriya Swayamasewak Sangh) shakhas (training camps). The SP stopped the BJP and its hate politics in Uttar Pradesh. The SP has fulfilled the dream of Netaji (SP founder the late Mulayam Singh Yadav) by becoming the third largest party in the Lok Sabha”.
“The victory of the SP in Ayodhya (Faizabad Lok Sabha seat) is the defeat of the BJP’s politics of communalism. The BJP has attacked the Constitution and the citizens’ rights by brining in three new laws. The SP and PDA’s fight to protect the Constitution and democracy will continue,” the SP chief further said.
SP chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said. “A statewide PDA sapling plantation programme started on Monday and will continue till July 7 to mark the birthday of party president Akhilesh Yadav.”
“Under this programme, which will be organised in every village of the state, saplings of banyan, peepal and neem are being planted as PDA trees, which will give the ‘praanvaayu’ of social equality and equity everyday as a symbol of social justice along with the conservation of the environment,” Chaudhary said.
He said efforts will be made to convert the “PDA tree” plantation drive into a nationwide movement in future. Before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Akhilesh Yadav had coined the slogan of PDA –Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (backward, Dalit and minority) –to woo voters of the these communities and the party gave its best ever performance in Lok Sabha polls by emerging the single largest party in Uttar Pradesh by bagging 37 seats.
Pooja Shukla, an SP spokesperson, said, “Under the plantation drive, we will inspire people to plant saplings. Today, we have planted saplings/trees to convey the message that our leader loves the environment just as much as he loves the people.” “We are also visiting orphanages and organising community feasts,” she added.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath extended his best wishes to Yadav on the occasion. “Heartiest congratulations to Samajwadi Party’s national president and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, on his birthday. I pray to Lord Shri Ram that you have a long life and excellent health,” Yogi posted in Hindi on X.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also wished the SP chief on his birthday. “Heartiest congratulations and best wishes for a long life to Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and MP, on his birthday today. Warm congratulations to his family members on this occasion as well,” she posted in Hindi on X.
Some party leaders put up a hoarding that greeted “The future Prime Minister of India, Akhilesh Yadav”.
