Parl logjam: Cong sarcastically dubs Mulayam as 'Khudai Khidmatgar'

Congress today sarcastically dubbed SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav as 'Khudai Khidmatgar', which implies that a person is more loyal than the king himself, for breaking ranks with the opposition which has been agitating in Parliament over the Lalit Modi row and the Vyapam scam.

A senior Congress leader, who gave the sobriquet to the SP supremo, objected to the way Yadav went about at a meeting called by the Lok Sabha Speaker on the Parliament logjam.

'Khudai Khidmatgar' literally means "servant of god" but if used sarcastically, it implies criticism that the person is more loyal than the king himself.

"If Yadav had any plan or was wanting to mediate, he should have talked to the Congress and should not have gone about the way he had gone," said the Congress leader, who declined to be identified.

The SP chief did not talk to any Congress leader beforehand on the Parliament logjam, the leader claimed.

Another Congress leader said Yadav's action was aimed at helping the ruling BJP and its floor managers, and it should be seen as an "act of compulsion" amid CBI investigation into the Yadav Singh case in Noida.

An opposition leader said the SP supremo is known for changing his positions. In the last presidential elections, he teamed up with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, but changed his position soon after.

Breaking ranks with Congress, the Samajwadi Party today asked the main opposition party to allow a debate in Parliament on the issues it was raking up or boycott it.

At a meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav told Congress leaders to spell out their demand for breaking the logjam in the House, allow the minister concerned and the government to answer their allegations and end the matter through debate.

Adopting an aggressive stand on the continued logjam, Yadav said the deadlock should be broken and those making allegations and those against whom charges are made have a right to speak in Parliament and explain their position before the people of the country and the disruption should end.

This came as a surprise to Congress as Yadav had last week extended his party's support to Congress after 25 of its members were suspended by the Speaker. The party had also boycotted proceedings in the Lok Sabha.