Yogi Adityanath dials Akhilesh on his birthday, SP workers organise blood Donation Camp

The Samajwadi Party (SP) marked the 48th birthday of the party's national president Akhilesh Yadav by cutting cakes, including a 48-kg one, holding mass marriages, blood donation and free food camps for the needy, as well as distributing sweets, across the state.

Yogi Adityanath dials Akhilesh on his birthday

Before the celebrations began, chief minister Yogi Adityanath called Akhilesh Yadav in the morning and wished him over the phone. The two leaders exchanged pleasantries. Later, the chief minister also tweeted birthday wishes to the SP chief: "I pray to Lord Ram for your good health and long life."

Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin also tweeted birthday wishes to Yadav. Stalin called the SP chief "my brother" in the tweet and posted a picture of his sitting with Akhilesh along with the tweet.

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) national secretary Anil Dubey called on Yadav at the SP headquarters and greeted him with a bouquet. Akhilesh Yadav thanked them all.

A delegation of saints from Ayodhya came to the party office and wished the SP chief, gifting him idols of Ram-Sita-Laxman.

Party leaders in Lucknow, several other districts and even the Uttarakhand unit organised celebrations. Former MLC Ashu Malik organised a mass wedding of 48 underprivileged Hindu and Muslim women from three villages in his native district of Saharanpur on the eve of the party president's birthday. On Thursday, the newly weds sought blessings from Akhilesh Yadav through video conferencing. Akhilesh Yadav sent the couples ₹25,000 cash each as a wedding gift. In several districts, party outfits organised blood donation and fruit distribution in hospitals. Party members from other states such as Kerala and Maharashtra, also greeted him at the party office.

The SP's Lucknow city unit office at Qaiserbagh too held an event that included cake-cutting and distribution of sweets.

Will take jab once everyone in UP gets it: Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said he too will take Covid vaccine once all the people in the state got vaccinated. He was speaking to newspersons on the sidelines of an event held at the party office to mark his birthday.

"People want to take the vaccine, but they are not getting it due to shortage. The government is not able to make the vaccine available. The entire vaccination system has collapsed," he said.

In January, Yadav had said that he would not take the vaccine, calling it "BJP vaccine" but he changed his stance early in June, saying that he too would take the vaccine.

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