Mumbai, Oct 31 (IANS): A senior Congress leader of Maharashtra on Monday demanded that the Centre should confer the country's highest civilian honor, Bharat Ratna on former Defence Minister and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, the late Mulayam Singh Yadav.

State Congress Working President M. Arif Naseem Khan has written a letter to the President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging them to confer the honour on Mulayam Singh, who passed away on October 10, aged 83.

Khan said that though born in a backward family in a small village Safai of Uttar Pradesh, Yadav remained at the centre of national politics for over six decades, working for all sections of society in his long public life.

"He was elected MLA for 8 times, as MP for 7 times, UP CM thrice and also served as the country's Defence Minister once. His entire life was marked with struggle for justice to the poor, downtrodden, minorities of society and upholding the secular traditions of the Indian Constitution," said Khan.

He said that Yadav's demise earlier this month sent a wave of grief among people all over the country, especially the socialists and secularists, and the government should recognise his contributions by conferring him the Bharat Ratna posthumously.

The founder-President of the Samajwadi Party, Yadav was groomed by stalwarts like Ram Manohar Lohia, Jaiprakash Narain and others, was elected the UP CM in 1989, 1993 and then in 2003, besides serving as Defence Minister in 1996.