Want Modi to return as PM, says Mulayam
NEWDELHI: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav created a flutter in Parliament on Wednesday when he said he wished Narendra Modi returned as the country’s prime minister after the general elections this summer.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Yadav said Modi had tried his best to take everyone along and obliged everyone who approached him for help. His remarks took the Opposition by surprise and received loud applause from the treasury benches. “I wish that all members come back to the House,” Yadav said during the last sitting of the 16th Lok Sabha on Wednesday. And pointing at Modi, Yadav said, “I wish pradhan mantriji (prime minister) becomes pradhan mantri again.” United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who was seated next to him, appeared flustered by the remark. Modi acknowledged the veteran leader’s praise with folded hands and later made a mention of Yadav’s “blessings” when he took the floor to deliver his speech. “There is much to do. And Mulayam Singhji has given his blessings. I am very grateful to him.” Yadav’s remarks came after his party MPS trooped into the well of the house, shouting slogans against Modi and BJP. The ruling NDA members cheered Yadav with chants of “Jai Shri Ram” as he praised Modi for making efforts to take everyone along. “I congratulate him (Modi) for making efforts to take everyone along,” Yadav said, adding that the prime minister has done good work. Yadav later ducked questions while leaving the Lok Sabha, and the SP said he had similarly praised previous governments as well. “Neta ji (Mulayam) has a big heart and he has always blessed his supporters and opponents alike... Neta ji’s statement in Parliament should be seen as a statement of a senior statesman and not just as a politician,” said SP spokesman Abdul Hafiz Gandhi.