Cong steers clear of Mulayam's praise for Advani

Congress today steered clear of Mulayam Singh Yadav's praise of BJP leader LK Advani, close on the heels of another SP leader hailing Atal Bihari Vajpayee and terming the erstwhile NDA government as "more cohesive".

Congress on Saturday steered clear of Mulayam Singh Yadav's praise of BJP leader LK Advani, close on the heels of another SP leader hailing Atal Bihari Vajpayee and terming the erstwhile NDA government as "more cohesive".

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"We do not want to say anything. It may be the thinking of their party and not that of Congress. Can anyone stop anyone from making any statement?" party spokesman Rashid Alvi told reporters.

Asked whether the party sees the praise of BJP leaders by Samajwadi Party as strange and whether it showed the greater leaning of that party towards BJP, he declined to comment saying it was better the questions are put to SP.

Alvi's remarks came close on the heels of Yadav, at a function in Lucknow, showering praise on Advani and used his comments to lash out at his son Akhilesh Yadav's government in Uttar Pradesh.

"Advani sahab says UP is in very bad state and corruption is rampant.... Now I have to assess the situation when a senior leader like Advani says such a thing. He never lies. He always speaks the truth, as I have said many times.... I'll go and meet him again," Yadav said.

Yadav's praise for Advani comes days after SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav had said the former BJP-led NDA government was "more cohesive" and Vajpayee's style of functioning better.