Etawah (UP): The state funeral of veteran socialist leader Mulayam Singh Yadav was held at his native town Saifai in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah district on Tuesday. A massive crowd chanting "Netaji amar rahein" thronged Saifai to pay tributes to the veteran leader who died on Monday morning at a private hospital in Gurugram.
Before the cremation, the body of the Samajwadi Party patriarch was kept at his 'kothi' for the people to take a final look. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh of the BJP represented the central government. Chief Ministers of Telangana and Chhattisgarh, K Chandrasekhar Rao of the TRS and Bhupesh Baghel of the Congress, were among the attendees.
While grief-struck commoners and party supporters stood in queues, it wasn't easier for "VIPs" as well with multiple current and former UP legislative assembly members trying hard to gain entry into the kothi.
"Sir, there are instructions to us that no VIP treatment is meted out to anyone," a private security official told an MLC and a former MLC, denying them a backdoor entry.
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Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother Shivpal Yadav was seen comforting Akhilesh Yadav, placing his hand on his shoulder as the latter broke down. Soon after the body was laid for the last "darshans", Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh and BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary arrived and paid their tributes. They also extended their condolences to Akhilesh Yadav.
According to an official statement issued in Lucknow, Adityanath reached Saifai and paid tributes to former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. He also paid floral tributes on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and the Uttar Pradesh government, it said.
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Traders in the district decided to keep the markets closed on Tuesday as a mark of respect to the leader. A large number of locals, party workers, leaders and women reached Saifai village to extend their condolences and pay tributes to the departed soul.
"He was like God to us," Jaikesh Yadav, who arrived here with scores of people from Etah district, some 150 km away, said as he struggled to gain entry for the darshan. Indrajit Singh Yadav said he left home in Jaunpur while Rahul Singh Yadav came from Prayagraj after the news of Yadav's death broke out.
