Mulayam, Mayawati in the same frame after 24 years of infamous Lucknow guesthouse episode

Mainpuri: Ending age old rivalry, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati on Friday.

shared a stage at an election rally here and dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "a fake backward".Though earlier there are reports that Mulayam Singh Yadav, was adamant on not joining the joint rally as he is opposed to the SP's alliance with BSP but his presence in the rally shows that he too has accepted the Mahagathbandhan.

Mayawati, who kept smiling sitting on the dais between the father and son -- Mulayam Singh Yadav and SP president Akhilesh Yadav, seemed to be comfortable in the Yadav citadel.

At one time, Mulayam even asked some SP leaders who came to touch his feet , also to touch the feet of Mayawati.

Later the SP leaders honoured Mayawati, his nephew Anand and party general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra.Mulayam in his brief speech made before his son and Mayawati, sought the people to support him and make him win by a record margin.

"I also welcome Mayawati for coming here to seek vote for me. I am obliged to Mayawati for coming her  and you too all should respect her," he told the SP workers at the Christian college ground here on Friday.

He repeatedly, asked the crowd to clap to welcome Mayawati and welcome her for coming to Mainpuri.

 Mulayam said that you should support me and the other candidates of the alliance. " The country is facing a problem that poor are becoming more and more poor while rich are turning richer," he said.

However, the SP patriarch did not say much in his speech with only saying that Mayawati and Akhilesh will speak more. With creating a  history of sorts has sent a message of opposition unity against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the country. Mainpuri goes to polls in the third phase on April 23.However, RLD president Ajit Singh was not present in the alliance rally.

It is will for the first time after June 5,1995 guest house incident in Lucknow when SP goons made a life bid of Mayawati, when  BSP president sought support by the people for Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is contesting from the seat.

"Make a history by supporting Mulayam Singh Yadav for his record win from Mainpuri," she said in her speech and gave reason for shaking hand with SP even after their dispute since 1995.

"Mulayam is the real backward leader while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is just a fake one. Modi had only ditched the backward community while Mulayam had worked for the backward upliftment," Mayawati said.

But confusion  rose when  a letter of appeal issued by the SP state president Naresh Uttam, asked the party supporters to join the rally in large number of a joint rally to be addressed by Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav and RLD president Ajit Singh. The name of Mulayam Singh Yadav was missing from the list of leaders, who are slated to address the joint rally. But Akhilesh Yadav had repeatedly informed the media that his father would attend the Mainpuri rally.

Mulayam is already annoyed with his son over the alliance and had made his views in public couple of times.

The SP patriarch had already, refused to address a public meeting on April 1 after filing his nomination papers and did not campaign in his constituency even for a day so far. The polling in Mainpuri seat is slated on April 23 in the third phase where the campaigning will end on April 21.

Mayawati sharing stage with Mulayam Singh could be seen as a game changer to convert caste arithmetic into votes and enthuse party workers to work collectively with coordination.

In 1993, SP-BSP had formed an alliance to stop the BJP's growing influence after the Ram temple movement gained momentum. Then SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP founder Kanshi Ram had joined hands. Both the leaders were able to outflank the BJP.

The alliance, however, did not last and ended in 1995 after the infamous Meera Bai Marg guest house incident wherein SP workers  attacked Mayawati. Since then Mayawati and Mulayam Singh's rivalry began and continued for more than two decades.(UNI)