which is being seen as an attempt to expand its footprint in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on Saturday celebrated the birth anniversary of Apna Dal founder and Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader Son Lal Patel in Lucknow.
This is the first time that the RLD, a party with a strong Jat base in western UP, celebrated the birth anniversary of Son Lal, who was influential among Kurmi voters in the eastern and central parts of the state.
Apna Dal has two separate groups – Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) led by Son Lal’s wife Krishna Patel and elder daughter Pallavi Patel and Apna Dal (Sonelal) led by her younger daughter Anupriya Patel, who is a Union Minister. Apna Dal (Sonelal) is one BJP Associate
Pallavi is one Samajwadi Party MLA who defeated Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu in the assembly elections.
Both the groups had planned programs in Lucknow.
While the Apna Dal (Sone Lal) program was organized at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, the Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) program was cancelled. Party spokesperson Vinod Kasera said the administration did not approve any of the three venues they had requested, so the event was cancelled. “Also, our leaders were arrested for a short period of time,” Kasera said.
Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), which was part of the SP-alliance in the recently held UP assembly elections, invited leaders of all its allies including SP president Akhilesh Yadav, RLD chief Jayant Choudhary, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) supremo Om was. Prakash Rajbhar and Mahan Dal leader Keshav Dev Maurya for Saturday’s program.
RLD state president Ramashish Rai said, “On the instructions of our national president (Jayant), we celebrated Son Lal ji’s birth anniversary at the party’s state headquarters, where tributes were paid to him and his vision for farmers and laborers was discussed. “