Faced with the onslaught of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is likely to shed his anti-English and anti-computer image by promising to promote modern education in the party manifesto. The SP chief is likely to release the party manifesto on January 20 in Lucknow.
Mr Yadav had been known as a bitter critic of English language and famously used to write letters to the chief ministers of southern states in Hindi. He had also opposed computers earlier on claims that they led to loss of jobs. However, Mr Yadav appears to be undergoing an image makeover, with his son and the SP chief of UP Akhilesh Yadav clearly setting the tone of the election campaign for the crucial state polls.
“The SP wants to tell the people that it’s a modern political party and is not averse to promote the technological innovations. The party will affirm that the English language is crucial for the youth to improve their employability,” said a senior SP functionary.
Mr Gandhi had accused the SP chief of having deprived the people of the state the benefits of the English language, while he had sent his son (Akhilesh) to a foreign country for higher education.