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‘Lost eldest member of family’: Pall of gloom in Saifai village
Former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav passed away in a private hospital in Gurugram at 8.16am after prolonged illness. He was 82.
A pall of gloom descended and several shops remained shut at Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh Yadav’s native village Saifai, in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district, on Monday as news of his death spread and his mortal remains arrived for final rites later in the day.
The former chief minister passed away in a private hospital in Gurugram at 8.16am after prolonged illness. He was 82.
Several shops in Saifai and Etawah remained shut as a mark of respect to the senior leaders. Traders, according to people familiar with the developments, decided to do the same on Tuesday.
“Netaji touched everyone’s life, we are feeling like we have lost our eldest member of the family,” Bhupendra Singh, who runs a general store on Patara-Saifai road, said.
“We closed our shops today as a mark of respect. They will remain shut on Tuesday as well,” he added.
Dinesh Prajapati from Atirajpur village in Saifai Tehsil also mourned the leader’s demise. “Everyone is shocked. Most villagers are yet to come in terms with his death,” he said.
A long convoy of 300 vehicles followed the ambulance carrying Mulayam’s mortal remains that left the Gurugram hospital for the village earlier in the day and travelled via the Yamuna Expressway and Agra-Lucknow Expressway.
Mulayam’s son and party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who was among those travelling in the convoy, greeted workers and supporters assembled near toll plazas to pay their final respects to the departed leader.
To ensure smooth transportation of the body, four lanes were kept reserved by the staff (check) at Khandoli toll plaza in Agra district.
Hundreds of supporters showered flower petals on the ambulance when it arrived in Saifai village in the evening.
“My mind is filled with memories of our time together. Saifai has lost its father,” Mulayam’s childhood friend, Ram Phal Valmiki, said. Valmiki stood by Mulayam’s brother, Abhay Ram Yadav, the entire day.
Besides a large number of people who waited for the mortal remains at the venue, former party MP Dharmendra Yadav and other family members were present when the body was taken out from an ambulance.
Mulayam’s brother Shivpal Yadav was seen comforting Akhilesh, placing his hand on his shoulder as the latter broke down.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, jal shakti minister Dev Singh and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary also arrived at the spot and paid their tributes. They also extended their condolences to Akhilesh.
“The death of former UP chief minister Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav ji is extremely sad. His death has ended a prominent pillar of socialism and an era of struggle. I pray to God for peace to the departed soul and my condolences to the bereaved family and supporters,” Adityanath had tweeted in Hindi earlier in the day.
In Varanasi too, especially in areas with a dominant population of Yadav and Manjhi communities, several supporters held condolence meetings and prayer services over the leader’s demise.
“It’s like losing the head of our family. We connected with Netaji. He always worked for the welfare of our community,” Shambhu Sahani, who is from the Manjhi community, said.
The Yadav community in Sir Gobardhan town decided to not cook food for three days. “We are following an age-old tradition. When a family member dies, we don’t cook food for three days. For the people of this town, Netaji was like a family member,” Deepu Yadav, a local resident, said.
Mulayam is scheduled to be cremated with full state honours in Saifai on Tuesday.
The funeral will be held in a ground close to Saifai Mahotsav pandal. His body will be kept at the premises in the morning for the public to pay their final respects.
Nearly 6,500 police personnel and five companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been deployed in Saifai for security reasons, according to Bhanu Bhaskar, additional director general of police, Kanpur police zone.
