In a rare appreciation Samajwadi Party national president Mulayam Singh Yadav showered praises on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpai saying he was good PM who listened to his opposition leaders too. “Atal ji was very good prime minister. He sought my suggestion on women reservation bill but I have no hesitation in saying that some of his party leaders did not allow him to work,” Yadav said while addressing party workers here on Wednesday. He asked the party workers work for the betterment of the people. “This Samajwadi Party Government had done a very good job in almost all the sectors.
We have provided free education to girls, medicines to needy and financial help to farmers,” he said. He also chaired a meeting of MlAs to discuss and chalk out strategy for the January 23 Uttar Pradesh legislative council elections. The luncheon meeting here was held at the state party headquarters and was attended by SP general secretaries Ram Gopal Yadav, Shivpal Singh Yadav and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Party sources here said that Ram Gopal Yadav chalked out the strategy for the council elections and allotted numbers to the legislators. The party is also slated to issue a whip for the elections though the voting is secret in the council polls. With 230 members of the assembly SP is short of around 8 votes. But the party is getting the support of 28 members of the Congress. To win in the first round, a candidate would require 31 first preferential votes.