Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh’s two biggest political leaders met and talked to each other on Friday—a historic event almost.
Chief Minister Mayawati invited SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav to her residence on Friday and he came. For the first time in 13 years the two bitter political enemies spoke to each other beyond exchanging pleasantries.
Mayawati invited Yadav, a former chief minister, to a meeting of State Human Rights Commission (SHRC). Yadav reached Maywati’s Kalidas Marg residence on Friday morning in his capacity as the Leader of Opposition, who is a member of the selection committee for the SHRC. The Chief Minister heads the selection committee.
The two leaders became enemies when their coalition government collapsed in 1995. Since then have been bitter critics, attacking each other and rarely speaking to each other at public functions.
Yadav attended Mayawati’s oath-taking ceremony at the Raj Bhawan in May 2007 but the two did not exchange pleasantries.
The recent weeks have seen the SP patching up with the Congress and Yadav accusing Mayawati of being "ungrateful" to the Central Government.
SP General Secretary Amar Singh recently attended a dinner to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Congress-led UPA government.
Political analysts say in view of the SP-Congress hobnobbing the Mayawati-Yadav meeting cannot be considered as routine.
The meeting decided to appoint a retired Supreme Court judge S K Sema as Chairman of the SHRC. Vishnu Sahai, a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court, and human right activist Asha Tiwari were made members of the commission.
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