SP scuttles partyman’s move to build a Mulayam temple

The party is now making an all-out effort to scuttle Saini's move. The work on the temple which began on November 22, Mulayam's birthday, has been stopped after instructions from the party headquarters.

However, not one to be let down, Saini is now planning to meet the party leader and his son Akhilesh Yadav to request him to go ahead with the project. "We did the Bhumi Pujan on Netaji's birthday. We have also placed an order for his statue but now everything has been stopped on party's instructions. Even if it is not permissible in the party, I can do it a personal level," Saini said.

Saini said party state secretary S R S Yadav had asked him to stop work. "Yadav said that such a temple is not allowed by the party and it is against the principles of socialism," he said.

He said that locals had donated 150 sq ft of land and a white marble statue of Mulayam was to be installed. "Local people had contributed the money and had placed the order with a sculptor'', Saini said. The temple was to cost between Rs 7 lakh and 8 lakh.

Saini wants to build the temple because he believes that Mualayam has done a lot for the uplift of Dalits, OBCs and the poor. "People in my area want to worship him as god," he said.

But the SP leadership became wary as soon as it heard of Saini's temple project and asked its national general secretary Ram Asrey Kushwaha to dissuade Saini.

"I had a word with Saini about his plans. He said the temple was a voluntary decision by the local Saini community, mostly his supporters. But since it is not allowed in our party, we asked him to stop the project. It would have given out a wrong message," said Kushwaha.

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