Union Minister for Steel, Beni Prasad Verma dumped Rahul’s masterstroke of selecting candidates in 15 lok Sabha constituencies as nothing but an ‘auction’ of tickets. He also attacked the party High Command for the first-time claiming that his ‘potential’ had not been fully utilised.
‘’With due respect to party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, I don’t agree with the experiment being done to select candidates through voting in 15 Parliament seat including Sant Kabir Nagar and Ambedkar Nagar lok Sabha seats in UP. This is merely an auction by the party as several Samajwadi Party workers have become the voters of the Congress to derail the process in UP,’’ alleged Congress Working Committee(CWC) member Beni Prasad Verma. Addressing a Press conference here on Monday, the CWC member peeved over the ignorance of the leadership in the organisation.
‘’The party is not using my capability and potential in the lok Sabha elections,’’ alleged Beni while showing his unhappiness with the working of the senior leaders. “Presently it is a good opportunity for the Congress after two decades to get the Muslim votes in UP. But unfortunately none in the Congress are thinking on the line as Congress is the only option for the Muslims against Narendra Modi,’’ he claimed. Beni said that election to select candidates in two UP seats would be a failure as merely the candidate spending more money would get the highest vote and in the lok Sabha polls they would be licking the dust. It may be mentioned that selecting party candidates through democratic process in 15 lok Sabha seats in the country is the brain child of Rahul Gandhi.
Beni Prasad also hinted that former SP leader Amar Singh would not be taken in Congress though Jaya Prada could get the party’s lok Sabha ticket. Indirectly he also attacked the UP Congress Committee saying that the weak party organisation in the State should be attributed to them. To a poser whether he would join the padyatra of Rahul Gandhi at Barabanki on February 28, the Union Minister hinted that there is no need for him to be present there as he was not a local MP.