PDA ‘Ped’ drive, bhandaras, blood camps mark birthday celebrations of Akhilesh

Lucknow: Bhandaras, puja, yagya, blood donation camps and a week-long ‘PDA Ped’ plantation drive marked the 51st birthday celebrations of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday.
Celebrations remained low-key in terms of pomp and show. Party functionaries gathered at the SP headquarters in Lucknow to wish their leader. A party functionary presented Akhilesh with a life size statue of SP founder late Mulayam Singh Yadav that was unveiled at the party headquarters.
Lauding cadre’ idea to celebrate his birthday with a plantation drive, Akhilesh thanked them for the novel approach towards environment conservation.“I thank every well-wisher for extending birthday greetings. Your good wishes, blessings and love are my strength and I pray that it stays this way always. On this occasion, SP has launched ‘PDA Ped’ drive that will go a long way to add to social well-being. PDA Ped will prove to be Tulsi (which is seen as a natural immunity booster that keeps infections away) for the social movement,” Akhilesh said addressing party workers.
Party secretary Rajendra Chaudhary, who organised a bhandara (community feast) before planting a sapling, said Banyan, Peepal and Neem saplings were being planted in every district.
“Each of the three trees represent one element of SP’s PDA plank in one way or the other. The party will make the drive into a national movement in the times to come,” he said. Akhilesh had coined PDA in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls to showcase SP’s commitment towards Pichde (backward classes), Dalit, Alpsankhyak (minorities). The move paid rich electoral dividends as SP won 37 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.