Mulayam slams Aiyar for his 'neech' comment on PM Modi

Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday slammed Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "neech" (low caste) person. Talking to reporters in Etawah, his home town, the founder of the Samajwadi Party (SP) said had Aiyar been in his party, he would have thrown him out. "Mere suspension from the party's primary membership is not enough. Calling the Prime Minister of the country 'neech' is unpardonable and demands expulsion from the party," he mused. He also aired his differences of opinion with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on his statement that all opposition parties were willing to accept Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial face for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. "There has been no such discussion in the Samajwadi Party," he said. He also predicted that the Samajwadi Party would lose all five seats it was contesting in the Gujarat assembly elections. Referring to the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the veteran leader said this question should ideally be put to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He also wished a long life to Congress President Sonia Gandhi on her 70th birthday.