With Mulayam on stage, Mayawati mentions 'guest house' incident during Mainpuri rally

Ending decades-long rivalry, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati on Friday shared dais at an election rally in Mainpuri.

SP founder Mulayam Singh (R) with BSP chief Mayawati (C) and his son Akhilesh Yadav (L) at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri. Photo: Twitter

LUCKNOW: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Ministers Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday shared a stage for the first time in nearly 25 years at a joint election rally of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Mainpuri, from where the SP patriarch is contesting Lok Sabha elections. Mulayam and Mayawati have been bitter rivals since 1995 when SP cadres allegedly attacked the state guest house where the BSP chief had been camping with her supporters. Mayawati's room was vandalised, she was abused and allegedly beaten up. The incident had left an indelible mark in the relationship between the two leaders and their parties. "I and Mayawati are on the same dais after a long time, we welcome and thank her...", Mulayam said in his brief speech in which he also sought the help of the electorate for his election. In her speech, Mayawati defended her move to join hands with the SP and said sometimes in the interest of the party and people some difficult decisions have to be taken. She also mentioned the infamous guest house episode in her speech. " I know people must be wondering why I have come here to campaign for Mulayam Singhji despite the State Guest House case...sometimes in janhit and party movement some difficult decisions have to be taken," she said. "There is no doubt that Mulayam Singh has taken members of all sections of society along with him under the SP banner....he is the real leader, specially of backwards who still consider him as leader...he is not a 'naqli' or 'farzi' backward (leader) like Narendra Modi ...," the BSP supremo said. Mulayam Singh and Mayawati fell out after their ruling coalition in UP crashed in 1995, two years after they came together along with smaller parties to keep the BJP out of power.