Lucknow, March 4 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was left red-faced Tuesday when his father and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav chose a public platform to reprimand him.

In a perform-or-perish style warning, the senior Yadav told his son at a function that it was high time he proved his worth.

"Ai Mukhyamantri suno! (Listen chief minister)," he told a visibly embarrassed Akhilesh Yadav, adding that he was surrounded by self-seeking bureaucrats and 'chaploos' (sycophants).

He warned him that anyone who did not pay heed to well wishers always got into trouble. "This is not good for your image," he added, as Akhilesh Yadav smiled.

In the past too, the Yadav senior has been harsh on his son. On two occasions he rebuked him for his alleged non-performance.

While close aides concede that Mulayam Singh Yadav was not too happy with his son's performance, a senior leader said the former was restless due to fears that the party may do badly in the Lok Sabha polls.