Lucknow: The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) organised a membership drive at the Buddha Research Institute auditorium in Vipin Khand, Gomti Nagar, on Friday, with RLD Uttar Pradesh working state president Anupam Mishra as the chief guest. Social worker Rama Soti joined the party along with a large number of her supporters. The programme was conducted by state media in-charge Mayank Trivedi.
The event began with tributes to Bharat Ratna Chaudhary Charan Singh and former Union minister and former RLD national president Chaudhary Ajit Singh, followed by the ceremonial lighting of the lamp.
Mishra said the RLD seeks participation from farmers, workers, youth, women and different sections of society. He stressed that women’s participation should not be restricted to numbers but should extend to decision-making and leadership roles in social and political life.
He said the party, under national president Chaudhary Jayant Singh, was working to expand its organisational base and strengthen its outreach across communities. He added that providing women adequate opportunities and platforms was essential for increasing their social, economic and public participation.
Mishra also said interest in the RLD was growing among women, Gen Z and intellectual sections, describing this as part of the party’s expanding social outreach. Referring to Chaudhary Charan Singh’s legacy, he highlighted the importance given to farmers, villages, workers, the poor and disadvantaged sections.
RLD Uttar Pradesh women’s wing president Parineeta Singh said women should not merely be used to increase organisational numbers but should be given an active role in leadership and decision-making. She said the women’s organisation would continue to raise issues related to education, employment, self-reliance and social security.
Rama Soti said her family had a long association with social service. Originally from Ayodhya and married into the historic Soti family of Bijnor, she said she had worked for nearly a decade on women’s employment, awareness and self-reliance initiatives. She also spoke about efforts to create market opportunities for products made by women.
Soti said sustained dialogue was necessary to understand social problems and work towards solutions. She added that joining the RLD would provide an opportunity to expand her social initiatives.
A large number of Soti’s supporters joined the RLD during the programme. Senior party leaders and office-bearers, including Suresh Gupta, Wasim Haider, Ramawati Tiwari, RP Singh, Chandrakant Awasthi, Izhar Ahmad Shah, Chaudhary Ram Singh Patel, Aman Pandey, Satyaprakash Tiwari, Dr Sarvesh Tripathi, Shriash Chandra Srivastava, Mohammad Aleem, Shahnawaz Khan, Mohsin Raza, Manju Shukla and Leela Srivastava, were present.
