Veteran Bollywood actor and Rajya Sabha MP of Samajwadi Party, Jaya Bachchan inaugurated Uttar Pradesh’s biggest rural festival on Friday, under cold day conditions.
The 14-day long Saifai Mahotsava, held at the native village of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, was honoured by the presence of the ruling Yadav clan.
In 2013, the extravagant festival was criticised by many people in view of the Muzaffaranagar riots. However, that did not deter Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and state ministers to celebrate the festival this year.
Mulayam Singh Yadav was heard saying at the event, “some say it is all dance and songs. Do only the people living in urban centres have the right to enjoy dance, can’t rural folks take pleasure in it? All have a right to entertainment. But it’s not all dance and songs. The festival is a mix of rural, folk, urban, agriculture, trade, knowledge exchange, sports, literary. It has something for everyone, be it men, women and children from both rural and urban areas.”
The Saifai Mohotsav will be held under extremely cold day conditions to last for at least next two days. Maximum temperatures in the Etawah district will be 7 to 8 degrees below normal average, around 15°C. Night will also be cold with minimums hovering around 5°C. In the nearby area of Hardoi, maximum and minimum temperatures will remain around 14°C and 5°C, respectively.
Samajwadi Party MP Tej Pratap Yadav organised the event with a budget of Rs. 1 crore. The festival will feature music, dance, drama and a host of stars grooving to Bollywood numbers.
In his address at the inauguration function, Mulayam Singh Yadav was heard complaining that he has been requesting the chief minister (his son) to invite Mr. Amitabh Bachchan at the event but his pleas have gone into deaf years. He also mentioned that Public Works Department Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav would have definitely roped in Mr. Bachchan had he made the request to him.
