Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma today alleged that a group of Congressmen worked as B-Team of the Samajwadi Party during the 2012 Assembly elections,leading to his partys defeat despite rigorous tours by Rahul Gandhi. He also claimed that these leaders financed the SP candidates during the elections. Without taking any names,the Congress MP from Gonda said: Congress leaders took money from their party and gave it to SP candidates so that the Congress candidates are defeated during the Assembly elections. There were a section of leaders who clearly worked as B-team of the SP in the Congress, Verma said that steps like announcement of 4.5 per cent quota within quota for minorities,raising the Batla House issue,making Rahul Gandhi stay at Shibli college in Azamgarh taken at the behest of Congress leaders were all part of a conspiracy to influence the UP elections. We ended up making the people belonging to the backward castes as well as the minority unhappy in the state. Alleging that these leaders were now getting several perks from the SP government,he said: Congress barbaad ho gayi aur Congressi neta abaad ho gaye. Beni also alleged that the Congressmen paid Rs 5 crore to the SP to defeat his son,Rakesh Verma ,who had contested the Assembly elections from Dariyabad in Barabanki district. He also said that at some places party tickets were sold to such people who did not contest election at all. When asked whether he had communicated all this to the party high-command,he said,Rahul Gandhi is alert and understands everything now and all such leaders,who have been involved in conspiracy against the party,would be punished. Benis statement comes a day after a group of SP workers created ruckus during his public meeting in Behraich,showing him black flags and forcing him to leave the dais minutes after he started his speech. Verma was there to lay the foundation stone of a steel processing plant and was speaking against the failures of the SP government. The protest was pre-planned,common men do not sit ready with black flags. People have the right to protest but there is a way for everything,Beni said. Verma said the UP government has failed on all counts. There is no attention to development,there are cases of robbery,thefts,murders everywhere. The power scenario is deteriorating and the state government is distributing laptops. There is hardly any electricity in villages,so how will the children use the laptops,he said. Verma also blamed the SP government for the death of court blast accused Khalid Mujahid and alleged he was poisoned and the SP men later unsuccessfully tried to influence the post-mortem report.
