LUCKNOW, Nov 12: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday met Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav in his residence in Lucknow.
Abdullah said the meeting was a courtesy visit to express condolences to the family on the demise of SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav.
“SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s father Mulayam Singh Yadav was very close to me. I could not meet his family when Mulayam ji passed away, so I came here to meet Akhilesh and expressed my condolences,” Abdullah told reporters after meeting Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow.
Mulayam Singh Yadav passed away on October 10 at the age of 82. He was elected 10 times MLA and 7 times as Lok Sabha MP. He was facing age-related issues and was admitted to ICU at Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital.
Several leaders of different parties attended his funeral. The last rites of Mulayam Singh were performed at his ancestral home in Etawah.
Soon after learning about the demise of the Samajwadi Party founder, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recollected his relationship with the veteran leader and tweeted, “Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji was a remarkable personality. He was widely admired as a humble and grounded leader who was sensitive to people’s problems. He served people diligently and devoted his life towards popularising the ideals of Loknayak JP and Dr Lohia.”
Born on November 22, 1939, Mulayam Singh Yadav is one of the most prominent leaders of Uttar Pradesh who served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh thrice and has also served in the Union Government as the Minister of Defence.
He was elected 10 times as MLA and 7 times as Lok Sabha MP. (Agencies)