No govt can be formed at Centre without SP support: Mulayam

Bangalore, July 30: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday attended an Iftar party in a star hotel here in Bangalore, with a select gathering, including politicians, celebrities and religious leaders.

A party spokesman said, "Netaji's (Mulayam) son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and three lawmakers from the northern state also participated in the evening prayers (Namaz-e-Mughrib) and joined the Iftar dinner at a star hotel."

The powerful father-son duo are on a two-day visit to Karnataka at the invitation of his party's only lawmaker CP Yogeeshwara, who got elected to the state legislative assembly from his home constituency Chennapatna, about 50 km from Bangalore.

Among those who attended the high-profile Iftar dinner were former Karnataka chief minister and KJP chief BS Yeddyurappa, Congress lawmaker Ajay Singh and the state unit's Youth Congress president Rizwan Arshad.

At a brief interaction with media after the namaz, Mulayam Singh claimed without the support of his party, no government could be formed at the centre after the next parliamentary elections.

"We are working hard to get as many Lok Sabha seats as possible, as no government can be formed without our party's support at the centre," Mulayam Singh said responding to BJP leader LK Advani's claim that the party-led NDA would break all poll records.

However, Mulayam Singh played down on the issue of alleged increasing atrocities against women in Uttar Pradesh and said the incidents were being 'blown out of proportion'.

Infact, Mulayam Singh indirectly referred the national capital Delhi as the place most unsafe for women by saying that people across the country and the world knows where the maximum atrocities against women happen in India.

"The college student who died after her gruesome rape in New Delhi (Dec 16, 2012) was from Uttar Pradesh. Has anyone seen such a heinous crime in Uttar Pradesh. No, because law and order is maintained well in the state. Our government is performing well and better than other governments," Mulayam Singh said.

In an attempt to strengthen the Samajwadi Party(SP) in Karnataka, both the Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav participated in apublic rally in Chitradurga town.
A news agency reported that Mulayam Singh said the SP had learnt from its mistakes in Karnataka. "The previous office-bearers of the party had failed to keep in constant touch with the people. This time we will strengthen our grassroots in Karnataka," he said.

Akhilesh Yadav said the party may be relatively new in Karnataka but its ideology was time-tested.

OneIndia News

(With Agency inputs)