Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav gifted a cycle to the girls on his birthday celebration at party office, in Lucknow on July 1, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Congress leadership on Wednesday (July 1, 2026) used the occasion of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s birthday to send a message of Opposition unity ahead of the crucial Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh next year.
Mr. Yadav, who served as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister from 2012 to 2017, turned 53 on Wednesday (July 1, 2026).
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi took to social media to wish Mr. Yadav and reaffirmed their shared commitment to social justice, inclusive development, and the Constitution.
The Congress and the SP are constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) . But the two parties are also potential allies for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.
Greeting Mr. Yadav on his 53rd birthday, Mr. Gandhi said the two parties would together fulfil the resolve for social justice through the participation of the PDA (Pichra, Dalit, Alpasankhyak).
“Many happy returns of the day, @yadavakhilesh ji. Together, we will fulfil the resolve for social justice through the participation of the PDA,” Mr. Gandhi said in a post on X while wishing the Samajwadi leader good health and a happy life.
In a separate post on X, Mr. Kharge extended birthday greetings to the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and said the two parties would continue to work together for social justice, inclusive development, and the strengthening of democracy and the Constitution.
“Heartfelt birthday wishes to the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and national president of the Samajwadi Party, Shri Akhilesh Yadav. I wish you a bright future, excellent health, and a long life,” Mr. Kharge said in Hindi.
“Together, we will continue to advance the cause of social justice, inclusive development, and the strengthening of democracy and the Constitution,” he added.
Mr. Yadav’s political rivals, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as well Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati, also posted social media messages, wishing him.
But the message that created ripples in the political circles was one posted by Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, a friend-turned-foe of the Samajwadi Party chief.
He advised Mr. Yadav to get out of a comfortable life and give up the politics of “air conditioner” (AC) and “press conference” (PC) to be successful.
“Consider this advice a birthday gift from me. The advice is that you should get out of your lazy and comfortable life as soon as possible. The sooner you give up the politics of AC and PC, the better it will be for you. Break free from laziness and walk the rural paths. Reach out to the non-Yadav backward classes, the poor, the Dalits, the marginalised, and every segment of society, and share their joys and sorrows,” Mr. Rajbhar said.
“Akhilesh Babu, there’s no shortcut to connecting with the land; you have to grind your feet against the ridges. Learn from me, I travel from village to village even in 48-degrees heat. That’s all I wanted to say, this is the perfect gift for you from us,” he added while wishing Mr. Yadav well on his birthday.
Published – July 01, 2026 10:59 pm IST