Participating in a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in Lok Sabha, Yadav justified his invitation to Modi for his grand nephew's pre-wedding ceremony last week, saying he is the Prime Minister, not of the BJP, but of the country.
"Some people, including those in my village were wondering why I invited him to Saifai (in Uttar Pradesh). I invited the Prime Minister to my village as he is the PM of India, not of BJP," Yadav said.
The SP chief said his party would support the Modi government if it works towards making India "strong".
His assurance of conditional support came at the fag end of his 40-minute address which was peppered with attacks on the government and Modi.
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He noted that Modi had cleaned Assi Ghat in his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency by wielding a broom himself. "But things are back to what they were earlier...How can you clean Ganga without cleaning the tributaries?....You will have to remove poverty to clean India," the former UP Chief Minister said.
Referring to the controversial Land Ordinance, now introduced as a bill in the Lok Sabha, Yadav said the government must desist from acquiring fertile land. He said barren land can be used to set up factories and gave the example of areas near Agra and Banda in UP.