Rajnath Singh addresses Mulayam Singh Yadav's Padma Vibhushan award

During a press conference at the BJP state headquarters in Lucknow, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh addressed questions regarding the posthumous conferment of the Padma Vibhushan upon the late Samajwadi Party founder, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Journalists questioned why the BJP honored Yadav with the nation’s second-highest civilian award despite the party’s historical criticism of his administration. Specifically, the inquiry referenced the 1990 police firing on Kar Sevaks during the Ram Mandir movement in Ayodhya while Yadav was Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Singh provided a brief response, stating, “Let’s see; there were many reasons for it,” before concluding the session.

In the same briefing, Singh also criticized the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi, questioning the party's political standing in Uttar Pradesh and suggesting that Congress's ability to secure majorities has diminished since the introduction of voter ID cards. He further questioned whether Rahul Gandhi could win the Rae Bareli seat without the support of the Samajwadi Party.