Mulayam meets PM

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Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and indicated that they discussed the Food Security Ordinance, which his party has opposed.

“When we meet the Prime Minister, it is obvious that there would be some discussion,” Yadav said when asked whether he discussed his party’s stand on the Food Security Ordinance with the Prime Minister.

Yadav, whose party is extending outside support to UPA, was at Prime Minister’s residence for nearly half-an-hour and left just before the Cabinet meeting was to begin.

Last week, Yadav had attacked Congress over the Food Security Ordinance, accusing it of indulging in vote bank politics and said its intentions were not good.

With Lok Sabha elections nearing, Congress is bringing the ordinance like it had brought rural employment scheme MNREGA before the previous polls, Yadav had said.

Asked if his party was withdrawing support from the Government on the issue, Yadav said this issue was irrelevant and his party had opposed several other initiatives of the Government in the past also.

Reacting to an Allahabad high court ban on caste-based rallies, Yadav said, “We welcome this judgement. Samajwadi Party does not organise such rallies. We are not a caste-based party.”

Asked about the Brahmin rallies organised by his party in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav said, “I had gone to one such rally but did not go to the other. I am not in favour of such rallies.”