SP Website Hails Ram Manohar Lohiya as Guiding Light, Leaders Ignore his Family

The Samajwadi Party website hails freedom fighter Ram Manohar Lohia as the "guiding light" of the party. Leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav have never skipped invoking the late socialist in every speech, especially around elections.

What the father-son duo may have skipped though is taking care of Lohiya's family, who have been facing neglect for years now.

It is ironic that the Akhilesh Yadav government has been running housing schemes named after Lohiya, but Lohiya Bhawan — the family home — lies in tatters in Akbarpur's Shahzadpur locality, around 60 km from Ayodhya.

It's been decades but not one party leader has set foot in the house. The Lohiya family has never even met CM Akhilesh Yadav.

"Mulayam and Akhilesh visit Akbarpur but have never met the family," says Vinod Kumar Sharma, the grandson of Saryudevi, who brought up Lohia after his mother's death in 1912.

Sharma has also travelled to Lucknow to meet the Chief Minister but failed in meeting him. He has been designated zila sachiv but says "small-time politicians" never let him reach the CM.

Saryudevi's son Ramchandra Thakur alleges that the Samajwadi Party has "sold" Lohiya's name.

The Lohiya Bhawan has been under construction for 10 years now.

In 2006, then CM Mulayam Singh Yadav placed the foundation stone of Lohiya Bhawan but soon after that BSP chief Mayawati came to power. The SP returned with Akhilesh Yadav as CM in 2011 but his term is almost over and Lohiya Bhawan is yet to be handed over.

It has never been opened for public. It has air-conditioned rooms for politicians to stay in, but no books for the library.

Anil Kumar, director of the Centre for Study of Society and Politics, says "the party's neglect towards its idol's family shows the SP has no emotional bond with them." "Family feud and caste bias have taken over the party," he says.

BJP state president Keshav Prasad says a party that does not take care of its idol's family is incapable of "good governance". "We will take care of the freeom fighter's family when we come to power," the BJP leader says.

SP spokesperson Juhi Singh says it is difficult to ascertain "how this happened". "CM Akhilesh Yadav is a very sincere politician," she adds, promising to look into the matter and have the Lohiya family house refurbished.