Ask Akhilesh why 5 lakh jobs vacant, Mulayam Singh Yadav tells mantris

BAREILLY: In a gesture which did not go unnoticed, there was not even a passing mention of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in Mulayam Singh's speech during the 'Vikas' rally in Bareilly on Wednesday. Akhilesh, incidentally, had also skipped the Samajwadi Party patriarch's Ghazipur rally earlier. When there was a mention of his son by the SP supremo, it was to ask his ministers to get an answer from Akhilesh on why 5 lakh jobs in the state were lying vacant.
Most leaders sharing the stage with Mulayam, including Shivpal Yadav and Gayatri Prajapati, were all praise for MSY but did not utter a word about Akhilesh in their public speeches.
"The youth is unemployed even as I am told that five lakh posts in all the departments are lying vacant," Mulayam said. "Why aren't the concerned ministers questioning the chief minister about this?"
Akhilesh was given less or almost no space in the larger than life posters and hoardings put up at prominent crossings in the city. Noticeably, party leader Ram Gopal Yadav was back in some of the posters.
Speculations were already rife regarding Akhilesh's presence at the mega rally. Akhilesh had given indications during his brief visit to a local MLA's residence earlier that he might be present at the meeting, but finally didn't turn up. Speaking to TOI on Wednesday, state president Shivpal Yadav said, "Work responsibilities during the (poll) campaign have been decided. All these mandal rallies will be addressed by party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav." He refused to comment on his blow hot-blow cold relationship with Akhilesh.