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Samajwadi Party's Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday, 13 February, said he would want Narendra Modi to return as the prime minister for a second term.
Speaking at the Lok Sabha, Yadav said he wanted to congratulate Modi for trying to work together with everyone and move forward, and that he would want all the members to win and for Modi to become the prime minister again.
“I want to congratulate the prime minister for trying to work with everyone and move along. What I want to say that may all the members win again, and you [Modi] become the PM again.”Mulayam Singh Yadav
UPA Chairperson and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who was sitting right beside Mulayam Singh, appeared flustered by his remarks.
‘I Disagree With Mulayam Ji’: Rahul Gandhi
Congress President Rahul Gandhi reacted to the former UP chief minister's statement, saying that though he disagreed with his comments, "Mulayam Singh Yadav has a role in politics and I respect his opinion.”
Modi, meanwhile, during his Lok Sabha address on Wednesday, said, “This House has demolished more than 1,400 laws too. There was a jungle of laws that was created. And this is an auspicious beginning and there is a lot yet to do... and for that itself Mulayam ji has given his blessings.”
Party Wants Change of Govt at Centre: SP
Ravidas Mehrotra of Samajwadi Party responded to Mulayam Singh's comment and said, "I don't have knowledge about the context in which Neta Ji said it. But we want a change of government at the Center. The PM himself will lose from his constituency (Varanasi)."
Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan who also reacted to Mulayam Singh’s comment said, “I felt extremely sad hearing this. The remarks aren’t Mulayam’s, but someone has influenced him.”
‘Like Mulayam, Heir Will Also Accept Truth,’ Says Yogi
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath responded to Mulayam Singh's comment saying, "Whatever Mulayam Singh said in Lok Sabha is true. I have faith that just like Mulayam Singh ji, his heir will also accept this truth."
NCP's Supriya Sule also reacted to Yadav's statement in the House of Parliament, and pointed Yadav has said the same for Manmohan Singh in 2014.
"I have heard that respected Mulayam Singh ji had said the same thing for Manmohan Singh ji in 2014," she said.
Akhilesh Stopped at Lucknow Airport
Meanwhile, in the Lok Sabha, SP MLAs raised the issue of Uttar Pradesh authorities preventing their chief, Akhilesh Yadav, from flying to Allahabad, even as the Centre asserted that neither the government nor the BJP had any role.
After Akhilesh was stopped at Lucknow airport, SP workers clashed with police in several parts of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, 12 February.
During the Zero Hour, Dharmendra Yadav and other SP members displayed placards to register their protest on the issue.
Dharmendra, whose forehead was bandaged, alleged that workers were lathicharged by UP Police on Tuesday.
He claimed that members of legislative council, workers and women, among others, were beaten up.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the SP chief was prevented from flying to Allahabad on the grounds of law and order. The BJP and the government does not have anything to do with it, he stressed.
(With inputs from PTI)
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