After Samajwadi party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and wished that the latter returns to power after the General Elections this year, posters thanking the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister appeared here on Wednesday.
In a surprising statement which left the opposition squirming, Mulayam in the Lok Sabha said he wished to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi back as Prime Minister of India.
Notably, Congress leader and United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was sitting next to Mulayam in the Lok Sabha.
Mulayam's comments came at a time when his son and Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav has been seen supporting Opposition leaders in forging an anti-BJP alliance to oust Prime Minister Modi-led government from the Centre.
"I congratulate the Prime Minister because he has tried to take everybody along. I want to say that all members must win and come again and Narendra Modi should become the Prime Minister again," he said in Lok Sabha.
Acknowledging with folded hands, Prime Minister Modi thanked Mulayam twice for his laudatory remark.
In January, the SP and BSP forged an alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls posing a formidable challenge to the ruling BJP at the Centre. Among all states, Uttar Pradesh has the maximum number of 80 Lok Sabha seats and plays a crucial role in government formation at the Centre.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)