SP, BJP have a political understanding: Beni Prasad

Days after being asked by Congress leadership to refrain from attacking Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma Saturday again hit out at his one-time colleague, alleging the SP and the BJP have long had a tacit political understanding.

Interacting with a select group of journalists here, on a brief stopover on way to his parliamentary constituency Gonda, Verma also dared the SP chief for an open debate on the Babri demolition.

He also sought a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the serial blasts in Uttar Pradesh and the firing on kar sevaks in 1990 when Mulayam Singh was Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

Verma also charged SP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring to foment communal trouble in the state for electoral gains in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Seeking to bolster his claims, Verma cited the formation of the SP government in Uttar Pradesh in 2003.

"It was with the help of the BJP's union government that a party with just 135 legislators formed the government (in the 403-member house) and the then assembly speaker Keshri Nath Tripathi (of the BJP) sanctified a split in the BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party)," he alleged.

He also claimed that it was on the instructions of the BJP that the SP did not allow Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to become the prime minister in 1999. "The BJP and SP are one and the same thing," he alleged.

He also refuted reports that the Congress leadership had rebuked him for his frequent attacks on the SP chief as it could jeopardize the stability of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. SP provides outside support to the Manmohan Singh government and its 22 MPs are crucial for its survival.

"I have the complete trust of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and I trust them completely. Congress is the only party that can keep the country intact and lead it to progress," said Verma, askking people to be be on guard against the SP and BJP.