Akhilesh's message to party workers: Mind your image, stay off booze and smoking

Lucknow: The ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh is headed for an image makeover. If the wish of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav prevails, leaders will need to stay clear of smoking and drinking. The attempt, according to party sources, is to present a pro-development and modern image of the party against the widespread perception of it being dominated by conservative and ageing leaders. [caption id=“attachment_2481538” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav. Reuters[/caption] Interestingly, party president Mulayam Singh Yadav may not have much to say – or do – in this silent exercise initiated by son Akhilesh. The exercise will also aim at deflecting people’s attention from the unchecked crime and loosening grip of the police on the law and order situation. An example of this clean-up exercise was visible in the letter written by the newly-appointed chairman of the state Madya Nishedh Board (Liquor Prohibition Board) Kuldeep Ujjawal, to leaders of the SP’s youth wing organisations, asking them to persuade the leaders and cadre to give up alcohol and smoking. In the past couple of years, reports of SP workers breaking the law with impunity, threatening and assaulting policemen and creating nuisance have been rising. According to a report, Ujjawal recently wrote to the presidents of Lohia Vahini, Mulayam Singh Youth Brigade, Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha and Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha asking them to give up liquor and cigarettes and set an example for the youth. The initiative, according to reports, was aimed at improving the image of party leaders. It was also suggested that the office-bearers of such organisations should hold regular meetings to discuss such habits and all SP leaders and workers should themselves give up consumption of these things. Incidentally, Ujjawal was among the 36 persons who had been suddenly removed by the state government after being nominated to different corporations, boards and councils as chairman, member or advisors. He was then nominated to head the Remote Sensing Applications Centre but was recently re-appointed as chairman of Prohibition Board. The Prohibition Board is under the department of Social Welfare and is entrusted with the task of dissuading people from drinking alcoholic beverages. He belongs to Baghpat near Meerut and recently organised a rally against the evils of drinking. The idea, according to him, originated at the behest of Mulayam and Akhilesh at a recent meeting. Expectedly, the SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary welcomed the initiative saying that both Mulayam and Akhilesh had “always asked the young leaders to lead a simple life.” The state BJP spokesman Vijay Pathak says it is a belated attempt to divert the people’s attention from the worsening law and order situation. “Such attempts are not likely to have any impact on the attitude of the ruling party workers,” he said. The party, he added, had failed to take any action against Totaram Yadav, a senior SP functionary who had been caught on camera stamping ballot papers in the ongoing Panchayat elections. Regardless of the negative reports, the SP has already initiated a campaign asking the people to give Akhilesh another chance in 2017, with banners and hoarding of ‘2017 me phir ek baar Akhilesh Sarkaar’ (Akhilesh government once again in 2017) already having come up, emphasising on the development plank. Even in the social media, SP workers have been asked to use the hashtag, ‘Akhilesh means Development’, to shift the focus from Hindutva-oriented issues that could be raked by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The increasing cold shoulder to senior minister Mohammad Azam Khan and the growing display of affection for his bête noire Amar Singh is also intended to send a message that the party was probably tired of Azam Khan’s antics to remain in the limelight by issuing awkward statements. His recent statement to rake up the Dadri killing at the United Nations through a letter was dismissed as of little consequence by another senior minister Shivpal Singh Yadav, who said that the party and the government had nothing to do with Khan’s statement. In his latest statement he said mobile phones were responsible for rape of minors, as these gadgets were being misused by the younger generation. He then went on to demand that the Centre should take steps to divert the attention of the younger generation towards constructive activities. Many senior SP leaders who earlier took pride in being close to Khan and often echoed his statements regarding the Hindu-Muslim issues, have started to distance themselves from the minister. Sources say his statements were now criticised even by sections of Muslims. In any case, Khan is not accepted by the Shia section of Muslims and is having a long-running spat with the Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad. On his part, Akhilesh has already directed the state machinery to prepare the agenda for 2016-17 so that necessary allocations and announcements can be made in time. He also pre-empted the return of any state government prize by any of the recipients by announcing a life-long pension of Rs 50,000 to those belonging to Uttar Pradesh who received Yash Bharti and Padma Awards.