UP burning, centre should intervene: Beni Prasad Verma

Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma Thursday again trained his guns on the Uttar Pradesh ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) government and alleged that the state was in the throes of chaos.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event, Verma said Uttar Pradesh was burning and the union government should immediately intervene to settle down things in the state.

When asked why does he not take up the matter within his own party - the Congress, Verma said he alone was not the government. "Uttar Pradesh jal raha hai, kendra sarkaar ko turant dakhal dena chahiye (Uttar Pradesh is burning, the central government should interfere immediately)," he said.

He accused SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his chief minister son Akhilesh Yadav of plundering the state.

Verma said: "Ye dono pradesh ko loot rahe hain aur barbaad kar rahe hain (These two are plundering the state and ruining it)."

He also said that politicians like Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had no business to be in government. Their rightful place, he added, was behind jail bars.

He also lauded the development in Rae Bareli, the parliamentary constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and wished that the development model of the VIP constituency was emulated across the country. "Mera bas chale to poore desh ko Rae Bareli jaisa bana doon (If I could, I would duplicate Rae Bareli across the country)," he added.

The 72-year-old politician was once very close to Mulayam Singh but parted ways and joined the Congress. He became a minister and has been reportedly patronised by party vice president Rahul Gandhi.

In the past, Sonia rebuked Verma for his sharp comments against Mulayam Singh. Verma had called Mulayam Singh a politician with links to terrorists and one who supported the United Progressive Alliance at a price tag.

After a studied silence for several months, Verma Wednesday targeted the SP chief once again and said the latter could get him murdered any day.