"Lovely memories...Lalu-ji source of strength": Mehbooba Mufti after Opposition meet

New Delhi [India], June 23 : People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti on Friday lauded Rashtriya Janata Dal veteran leader and former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav calling him "a source of inspiration" as he has "taken the BJP head on" despite of battling serious health issues.

Mehbooba took to Twitter to share her photographs with Lalu Yadav taken during the joint meeting of Opposition leaders in Patna. The meeting deliberated on a roadmap for an anti-BJP national front, with an eye on next year's Lok Sabha elections.

She also posted a photograph of her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with the RJD leader, former Prime Minister VP Singh and Lok Janshakti Party founder Ram Vilas Paswan.

Mehbooba tagged the image with a caption that read, "Apart from the lovely memories I have of @laluprasadrjd ji with Mufti sahab, he's also a source of strength & inspiration. Even at an age where he's suffering from grave health issues, he's taken BJP head-on despite being harassed to no end by their pet agencies. I salute his spirit."

The PDP chief and fellow former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader, Omar Abdullah, represented the Union Territory at the meeting of Opposition leaders convened by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

At the meeting, a complement of Opposition heavyweights, including Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, brainstormed on a roadmap to mount a united fight against the BJP in next year's Lok Sabha elections.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, who also attended Friday's meeting, said all the parties in the Opposition should aside their personal differences and come together for the 'welfare' and greater good of the country.

"Today we are seeing a new problem every day in the country. Attempts are being made to create a communal situation at various places. Today, we will have to face the Bharatiya Janata Party and their associates for the unity of the society. We should face it together. There may be some differences or others, but for the sake of national interest, we have decided to move ahead by ignoring mutual problems. I remember that a message was given from here under the leadership of Jayaprakashji due to which, a different atmosphere was created in the whole country. Many movements started from here and it was accepted in the history of the country," Pawar said in a tweet.

Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, too, tweeted about the meeting, saying, "Let's save our country together".

Addressing a joint press conference after the opposition meeting, Akhilesh said the only takeaway was to work together "to save the country".

"Today, Patna and Bihar are witnessing a political renaissance. The key message from the meeting is to work together to save the country and work for the welfare of citizens," he said.