Mulayam shares stage with Shivpal

Samajwadi Party (SP) patron Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday surprised everyone when he suddenly appeared on the stage from where his rebel younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav was addressing a rally in Lucknow.

Shivpal, in his address, explained the reasons that led him to part ways with the party (SP) that he had founded with his elder brother and declared that his Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP) would emerge as an alternative to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

"All I had sought was respect but I did not even get that," Shivpal said in Mulayam's presence.

He also attacked the BJP-led state government for its alleged failure on the law and order front and batted for reservation for all sections of the society on the basis of their economic status and population.

However, Mulayam in his speech said that only the SP could counter the BJP in the state and asked the people to throw out the saffron party in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

The SP patron, not realising that he was at the PSP rally and not SP's, continued to list the achievements of the SP government much to the discomfort of Shivpal and his supporters.

Shivpal was seen handing over a slip to his elder brother to what sources claimed point out that it was not an SP rally.

Though Mulayam was still with the SP, he had earlier also shared the stage with Shivpal on several occasions sending conflicting signals to both Akhilesh and Shivpal camps.

Mulayam's ambiguous stand in the ongoing feud between Akhilesh and Shivpal has left not only their supporters confused but also the rival BJP, which has been wooing Shivpal to make a dent into the SP vote bank and counter a possible grand alliance in UP.