Sharad Yadav meets ‘old friend’ Mufti

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 18

Three days after six parties of the erstwhile Janata Parivar merged with the sole aim to stop Narendra Modi’s juggernaut, veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav today had a lunch meeting with Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

Today’s meeting gained importance because Sharad Yadav’s Janata Dal (United) was among six political parties which merged to counter the BJP in the country. The two-hour-long lunch meeting started at 2:30 pm at the Chief Minister’s residence.

Highly placed sources said Sharad Yadav reached Jammu this afternoon to explore the possibilities of reviving “political” relations with old friends like Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

After formally merging their respective parties on Wednesday, the leaders of the erstwhile Janata Parivar had decided to approach those political stalwarts who were once a part of the Janata Parivar.

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was once a stalwart of the erstwhile Janata Dal. He was the Union Home Minister when VP Singh was heading the Janata Dal government at the Centre.

Seeking to downplay his lunch meeting with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Sharad Yadav told The Tribune that it was purely a private visit and had nothing to do with the latest political developments in the country.

“I have family relations with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed because we had worked together in the Janata Dal. There was nothing political about the meeting held today,” he said. He added that the Chief Minister had invited him for lunch.

Today’s meeting was being considered as a significant political development by political commentators, especially after the merger of six parties.

Sharad Yadav said, “There was nothing special about the interaction at the lunch because I had met Mufti Mohammad Sayeed twice earlier after he assumed charge as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.”

In an attempt to avoid any controversy on the meeting, Sharad Yadav said, “Actually earlier I had planned to go to Srinagar to enjoy the pleasant weather there. As Mufti Mohammad Sayeed came to Jammu for two days, I changed my schedule and came here to meet the Chief Minister.”