A day after Mulayam Singh Yadav praised Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha and said he wanted the BJP leader to return to power as the prime minister, posters thanking the Samajwadi Party patriarch have popped up in Lucknow.
“Thank you Mulayam Singh Yadavji, you have reiterated the wish of 125 crore Indians in the Lok Sabha,” a poster reads, according to ANI.
Yadav's "blessings" to the PM had left Opposition members squirming, especially as his son and SP President Akhilesh Yadav has joined hands with Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati to challenge BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"I wish that all members come back to the House," Mulayam had said in the last sitting of the 16th Lok Sabha on Wednesday, 13 February, reported PTI.
Pointing to Modi, Mulayam added, “I wish pradhan mantriji (PM) becomes pradhan mantri again.”
Mulayam’s remarks drew applause from treasury benches. In the House, the ruling NDA alliance members had cheered Yadav with chants of 'Jai Shri Ram’ as the SP leader praised Modi from his seat next to UPA Chairperson and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
PM Modi also acknowledged the SP patriarch's praise with folded hands and thanked Mulayam for his "blessings".
"There is much to do. And Mulayam Singhji has given his blessings. I am very grateful to him," the prime minister said while delivering his speech in the House.
Aparna Yadav, Mulayam Yadav's daughter-in-law, however thinks that there was a reason behind Mulayam’s remarks. She said that elders always give aashirwaad (blessings) but that doesn't mean elections are won. “His good wishes are with everyone,” she said.
Meanwhile, UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya and some of his ministerial colleagues also thanked the Samajwadi Party patriarch for his comments in the Lok Sabha.
Before replying to a question in the state Assembly, Maurya said, "I congratulate and thank Mulayam Singh Yadavji for his statement."
UP Parliamentary Affairs minister Suresh Khanna also claimed that Mulayam's statement was reflective of the country's sentiments.
When asked to comment on Mulayam's remarks, Congress President Rahul Gandhi said during a press conference on Wednesday, "I disagree with him."
Gandhi added that Mulayam Singh “Yadav has had a role in politics, and I respect that role .”
Samajwadi Party Maintains Silence
Mulayam ducked questions on his praise for PM Modi when he was mobbed by reporters while leaving the Lok Sabha.
The Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, meanwhile, avoided commenting on the issue.
“I have not seen what statement he has made. I have no clue,” senior SP Spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary told PTI in Lucknow.
When contacted, other SP leaders in UP too feigned ignorance or said they couldn’t comment. Till late Wednesday evening, there was no official response from Akhilesh Yadav either
However, senior Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari claimed that Yadav's statement will only benefit the Congress.
"I do not know in which circumstances he gave the statement. But if any party stands to gain politically from the statement, it is certainly going to be the Congress," Tiwari told PTI at the UP Congress headquarters.
Tiwari added that those who vote in Mulayam’s name are going to drift away from the SP-BSP alliance, but not towards Modi.
Uttar Pradesh accounts for 80 of the 545 Lok Sabha seats, and will be crucial in deciding the outcome of the polls.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
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