Mulayam again embarrasses Akhilesh, questions alliance

Within days of his wish to see Narendra Modi become the prime minister again after the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, Samajwadi Party (SP) patron Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday again embarrassed his son and party president Akhilesh Yadav by questioning the latter's alliance with one-time arch-rival BSP.

Mulayam also said that BJP had an ''edge'' in the general elections.

''Our seats have been halved owing to the alliance...I had helped SP win 40 seats alone....the alliance has weakened our party,'' Mulayam told a meeting of party workers here.

''I have no idea as to why Akhilesh entered into an alliance with the BSP,'' he remarked.

The SP patron also said that the party was ''delaying'' announcement of its candidates for the forthcoming LS polls.

He said that his own people were ''weakening'' the SP and offered to help Akhilesh select LS nominees.

Mulayam also asked the ticket seekers to contact him. Interestingly, the state unit president of the SP Naresh Uttam sat beside Mulayam, when the latter poured out his heart.

Earlier also Mulayam had embarrassed his own son and SP president Akhilesh when he said on the last day of Lok Sabha that he wanted to see Modi become PM again.

SP leader later sought to play down the remark saying that it was ''in line with our glorious tradition...we also wish good luck to our opponents,'.

SP sources, however, said that Mulayam's remarks could put the party in difficulty as the BJP might to try to make it part of its election campaign.

Even in the tussle between his brother Shivpal Singh Yadav and Akhilesh, Mulayam had given contradictory statements. He declared his support to Akhilesh one day and spoke against him on another day.