Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh at the former's birthday bash at Saifai in UP. Birthday bashes of political leaders generate both bonhomie and controversies. In the last few years, the most colourful and extravagant celebrations are conducted in the small Uttar Pradesh town of Saifai, to wish a long life to the Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The party goes on for three to four days and attracts an esoteric crowd of politicians, bureaucrats, industrialists and bollywood celebrities. The celebrations go on for two to three days, with the 76-year-old patriarch cutting a cake, which grows by a kilogram every year to match his age.
Music, dance and food are the essential ingredients and the airport is packed with executive jets and helicopters bringing special invitees from Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, who heads the political dynasty ruling the state, has not bothered about criticism that he has thrown the socialist principles to the winds by allowing huge expenditure on his lavish birthdays. Instead, he basks in all the attendance.
Interestingly, it was businessman-turned-politician Amar Singh, who pioneered the celebration culture in Samajawadi Party while he was its general secretary. Amar Singh, who headed the Uttar Pradesh Development Council when Mulayam Singh was the Chief Minister, had found it a good way to promote the personality cult.
Amar Singh, who has strong links to Bollywood brought in actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Jayaprada to lead the glamour brigade. Interestingly, both the Jayas have been MPs SP fold.
Even though Amar Singh was thrown out of the party in 2009, Mulayam continued his party culture. His favourite industrialists and actors turned up even when the Samajwadi Party was not even in power.
However, his latest birthday bash sparked quite a controversy and there were questions regarding the presence and absence of key characters during the celebrations.
Even though there was a concert by A.R. Rahman, most of the stars stayed away. The political crowd too was absent as many opposition leaders, including Mulayam's relative Lalu Prasad, former prime minister H.D Deve Gowda. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar stayed away despite being invited.
Even the Congress did not send a representative for the bash, giving a cold shoulder to Samajwadi Party due to its walking out of the grand alliance in Bihar. Further, it is said that the BJP ruling in Delhi had sent out messages to businessmen and Bollywood celebrities to avoid the bash at Saifai.
What's rather interesting is the guest list of Yadav's birthday bash. The prominent guest was none other than Amar Singh, who has worked his way back into Mulayam's inner circle. It is said Mulayam wants to woo upper caste Rajput voters in the state, who have gravitated towards Home Minister and BJP stalwart Rajnath Singh.
But Amar Singh's presence annoyed the senior-most minister of UP, Azam Khan, who made it a point to reach the venue of the celebrations only after Amar Singh left.
Later, Khan who is known for his extremely sharp tongue, said that whenever there is a flood, lot of garbage comes in, referring to Amar Singh. It is to be seen how Mulayam will handle the contradictions, as there is one more birthday festival in 2016, a little before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections in 2017.
Tailpiece: Narendra Modi and his predecessor Manmohan Singh have always avoided ostentatious birthday presentations.
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