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SP infighting: Saifai residents seeks divine help for peace in Yadav family
Residents of Saifai in Etawah district are seeking divine intervention to end the feud in the Samajwadi Party’s first family and ward off any bad omen.
Residents of Saifai in Etawah district are seeking divine intervention to end the feud in the Samajwadi Party’s first family and ward off any bad omen.
Saifai is the native village of party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and other members of the family.
A three-day ‘Shanti Yajna’ (ritual for peace) began in the village on Thursday noon.
Over 20 villagers attended the daylong rituals on the Rajeshwari temple premises amid the chanting of Vedic hymns by two local priests.
Another aim of the yajna is to ensure the Samajwadi Party retains power after the 2017 UP assembly elections.
“We are saddened by the happenings; All of us are tense and wish to see the family united,” said Jyoti Yadav, a Saifai resident.
“Sab pahle jaisa ho jaye (We hope everything falls into place),” Jyoti said.
Read: In this UP village, meet the Yadav SP chief Mulayam and family listen to
Dashrath Singh Yadav, a contractor, and Sudhir Yadav, another villager, are the organisers of the yajna that will conclude with a feast for 21 girls on Saturday.
“Everyone in the village is worried about the crisis in the family of netaji (Mulayam),” Dashrath explains.
“The yajna is a way to seek divine help so that things return to normal,” he says.
“We are reciting the Gayatri Mahamantra that is the biggest shield against any bad omen,” says Pandit Rajesh Kumar Mishra, one of the priests officiating at the function.
Saifai, 18 km from Etawah, has a population of 7,000.
Since the crisis erupted, the entire village has maintained a stoic silence. People avoid any public discussion on the developments in the SP’s ruling Yadav family.
Read: The Yadavs of Uttar Pradesh: Taking a look at India’s biggest political family
