Saifai (UP), Oct 11 (PTI) The first thing one would notice upon reaching Saifai are its roads — made of concrete, offering a national highway-like quality and no potholes.
Saifai has been known for two things — the birthplace of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Saifai Mahotsav. But both are things of the past now.
Saifai in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh developed from a village to block and eventually gaining the status of a tehsil.
Saifai stepped up the ladder of development with the political rise of Yadav, who first became Uttar Pradesh chief minister in 1989 and held the position twice more.
His son, Akhilesh Yadav, was the UP chief minister from 2012 to 2017 as their party continued to wield influence in regional politics.
Saifai now boasts of a medical college, a government inter-college named after Amitabh Bachchan and three stadiums for cricket, hockey and wrestling while an engineering college is also coming up in the area.
The mahotsav was also an annual affair until 2017 with top film stars and celebrities landing in Saifai for gigs on invitation of Yadav.
Ambrish Yadav, a local resident, said, “Rangarang karyakram hota tha har saal. Bambai se sab yahin aate the. (It used to be a colourful programme. All film stars from Mumbai would come here for the mahotsav).” The extravaganza was started in 1996 and had a successful run till 2016 when fissures showed up within the Yadav clan.
It was not held in 2007 and 2011 due to election code of conduct.
“People who visit Saifai ask me whether it’s a village or a city? I tell them it’s a town,” says Ansh, a Class 8 student who lives a stone’s throw from Yadav’s palatial kothi spread over acres of land.
When asked if he has seen roads better than the ones in Saifai, 15-year-old Meet replied in the negative. Himanshu, who studies in Class 11, said education and sports facilities are not only helping locals but many others from nearby villages.
“There’s no problem for us accessing the stadiums. We frequently go there. Many other youngsters from nearby areas also train there,” he told PTI. All three, who live in the same neighbourhood, said they have only seen a developed Saifai since birth. “But sometimes my grandfather, who studied with Netaji (as Mulayam Singh Yadav is popularly called), tells us that Saifai has changed a lot. Earlier the roads were made of mud and then bricks,” Himanshu said as Ansh and Meet nodded their heads in agreement.
They also said Saifai now gets power supply for around 20 hours a day but during the Samajwadi Party rule in the state they got round-the-clock electricity.
The interior roads leading to the Yadav clan’s kothi are made of concrete, have drains covered by slabs and interlocking tiles for footpath.
First-time Saifai visitors are in awe while those returning after a long gap found the infrastructure change incredible.
Keshav Dev Baghel, who lives in Etmadpur area of Agra, looked lost as he searched for Yadav’s kothi.
“I had first come to Saifai three decades ago when Netaji had become the chief minister for the first time. Then once again in 1996 and now today,” an emotional Baghel said, walking from the cremation ground to Yadav’s home, a distance of over one kilometre.
“This whole place has transformed. The roads are so different. All pucca houses around,” Baghel told PTI. The 54-year-old Agra native said he is a supporter of the Samajwadi Party but not active politically. “Events like these call for personal visits. Netaji meant a lot to me and my family,” Baghel added.
Dinesh Kumar from Pratapagarh had for the first time reached here with a group of friends — all amazed by Saifai. “We don’t have such good roads even in our municipal areas and cities,” he remarked.
Yadav, a socialist leader and three-time Uttar Pradesh chief minister, passed away aged 82 at a private hospital in Gurugram on Tuesday.
His last rites took place at Saifai on Tuesday with politicians cutting across party lines and a sea of crowd descending here to pay respects to him. PTI KIS SMN SMN
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.