Mulayam Singh not to celebrate birthday in view of Kanpur train incident

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party will not celebrate its supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's 77th birthday on Tuesday due to the tragic train incident near Kanpur.

"The birthday of 'netaji' (Mulayam) used to be celebrated every year with simplicity. But this year the party has decided not to celebrate it due to the tragic train accident," Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Unnao.

Mulayam, was born on November 22, 1939 in Saifai village in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh. The party generally celebrates Mulayam's birthday with great pomp and show.

Last year's celebrations involved a live concert by AR Rahman, while Bollywood personalties like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan and business tycoons also attended the event.

As many as 143 people have been confirmed dead in the tragic train accident on Sunday morning involving the ill- fated Indore-Patna Express.

Chief Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the families of those killed in the derailment of the train.