Maharashtra Congress leader Mohammad Arif Naseem Khan has written to President Droupadi Murmu demanding that the country's highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna should be posthumously conferred on Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav who passed away last month.

He said in a letter that the late Samajwadi Party leader understood the pain of the deprived sections for whom he struggled. "The entire country mourned the demise of the Samajwadi Party leader. I request that he should be conferred Bharat Ratna in recognition of feelings of crores of people who hailed him," said Khan, working president of Maharashtra Congress.