'Disappointed' Mulayam Singh Yadav invokes `obedient son' Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: The acrimony in the SP first family delivered an unexpected spin-off for BJP , with SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav citing Narendra Modi as the role model of an obedient son who respects mother and visits her even after becoming PM. Mulayam held up Modi's example while addressing party workers at a tumultuous meeting in Luc know in what seemed an oblique hint to son Akhilesh Yadav of what was expected from a respectful offspring.

While Mulayam's comments seemed to reflect his disappointment with Akhilesh, BJP leaders were happy to read them as an endorsement of Modi's family values.“Look at Modi, he has become PM with sheer hard work. He comes from a poor family and keeps claiming that he can't live without his mother. He hasn't left his mother even today,“ Mulayam said.

The reference boosts BJP's claims that it is the only outfit not affected by a dynastic or single-leader syndrome and can deliver unbiased governance in UP .

“Mulayam shared his own example about the ideological fights they had but they never crossed the Lakshman rekha, unlike the leaders of his party ,“ BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma told TOI.

He said the SP chief 's example of the PM was testimony that Akhilesh has not only disappointed the state but his father too.Although Sharma welcomed Mulayam citing BJP leaders as individuals worth emulating, he said parties treated as family fiefs end up in a quagmire like the one SP finds itself in. “You reap what you sow,“ Sharma said, accusing Mulayam of harbouring dynastic politics that led to the current mess.