Stumped by Mulayam Singh Yadav praising Narendra Modi, Samajwadi Party leaders scamper for excuses

In a surprising turn of events, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav declared in the Lok Sabha that he wants PM Narendra Modi back as the next Prime Minister.

Speaking during the last session of the 16th Lok Sabha, the veteran leader said: “I want to congratulate the prime minister that he tried to move ahead taking everyone along.” But what he added was the stunning part. “I hope all members to win and return, and you [Modi] become prime minister again.”

Later PM Modi thanked Yadav for his “blessings” ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. “This house scrapped more than 1,400 laws. There was a jungle of laws. This is a good beginning, much more is to be done…And, Mulayamji has given his blessings for the same,” said PM Modi in the Lok Sabha.

However, the comments by Yadav did not find support from his own party. “I don’t have knowledge about the context in which Netaji said it. But we want change of government at centre. The prime minister himself will lose from his constituency,” news agency ANI quoted Samajwadi Party leader Ravidas Mehrotra as saying.

Mulayam Singh’s son Akhilesh Yadav, who is the Samajwadi Party chief, has been persistently opposing the Prime Minister and the BJP. He has constantly said that he would support parties with common ideologies of defeating the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.

He has formed an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party for the polls. His party also supported the BSP’s call for its chief Mayawati to be the Prime MInisterial candidate.