LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav sprang a surprise on Sunday when he made an appearance at the maiden rally of his brother Shivpal Yadav’s newly floated Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia party in Lucknow. The SP founder’s presence was unexpected as he had neither reportedly been sent a formal invite nor featured in the posters put up by the party.Mulayam, who wore the SP’s red cap throughout the rally, was accompanied on the dais by chhoti bahu and SP member Aparna Yadav.In his address, Mulayam joined Shivpal in attacking BJP and said it had failed to deliver on the development front.Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Singh Yadav attend 'Janakrosh Maharally', in Lucknow. (PTI Photo)“Communal forces are once again raising their heads. I have always fought against them. It’s time to strengthen SP to take on the ruling dispensation,” Mulayam said, only to be disrupted by slogans from a group of Shivpal supporters who tried to remind him that it was not an SP event.Mulayam’s speech was disrupted for the second time when he asked people to ensure the formation of SP government in the next elections. When the sloganeering continued, Mulayam shot back: “Aise log meri sabha mein na aaya karein (Such should not attend my public meetings).”It was only after Shivpal clarified the reason for the slogans that Mulayam congratulated Shivpal for holding such a successful meeting. “I have not seen such a huge gathering at any public meeting in Lucknow’s history,” he said, adding that Shivpal had hisblessings.In a veiled attack on Samajwadi Party and its prospective ally BSP, Shivpal accused the BJP of unleashing a reign of terror on Muslims but lamented that political parties are afraid to talk about the minority community for the sake of political gains. The minister added that Ram Temple should not be built at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

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