He was cremated in Saifai on Tuesday amid a sea of crowd who had come to pay their respects to the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.
The noted socialist leader and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav passed away at the age of 82 on Monday. He was cremated in Saifai on Tuesday amid a sea of crowd who had come to pay their respects to the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.
Fondly called ‘Netaji’, Yadav was also the Defence Minister of India between 1996 and 1998.
A man standing in the crowd told The New Indian, “There are very few politicians like him. His demise has left a huge void that won’t be easily filled by anyone soon. He will always be fondly remembered. His stories, life and work will remain enshrined in history books.”
He continued: “He has been instrumental in the development of Saifai. He always used to say there should be no difference between what one says and what one does. That is why everybody is very sad today. People have come in large numbers to express solidarity with the family.”
Another man Surendra Singh Yadav recalled being taught by the late leader during his studentship. “He taught me Hindi in Class IX and XII. Even during classes, he used to invoke political matters. He had a Java motorcycle which he used to commute. At that time, personal cars were not common. He was a hard-working and far-sighted politician,” he reminisced.
Surendra also recounted that Darshan Singh, a former Member of Parliament, and Mulayam Singh used to visit villages of Jaswant Nagar assembly seat together to seek votes with the slogan, ‘One Vote, One Note.’
Surendra also remembered how ‘Netaji’ easily cajoled people who got miffed with him. “He would place his hand on their shoulder and engage them in conversations,” he stated.
Maharana Udaybheet Singh asserted, “Netaji treated rich, poor, Dalits and Muslims alike. After his demise, there is a huge void in our lives. People are very sad. There seems to be nobody on the horizon who can measure up after him.”