In an attempt to play down controversy over Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma’s diatribe against Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party national president said Minister’s outburst was giving him wide publicity.
“Why should I lodge a complaint with the CongressIJ Beni babu is my old colleague. He is giving me publicity without any expense. It is good for me,’’ he told reporters here on Friday. But Yadav senior cautioned that Beni Prasad Verma should use decorum in his statement against him. “Bhasha ka khayal rakhna chahiye,” he said.
Referring to the statement of Beni Prasad Verma that he would prefer to resign from the Congress if he was stopped from speaking against Mulayam Singh Yadav, the SP president said that the statement itself proves that he has been ‘scolded’ by the party leadership.
“Daant padi hai tabhi to unhone (Beni) kaha hai ki Congress se resign kar denge. After this why should I lodge complain against him,” he asked.
The former UP Chief Minister also contradicted the allegation of Beni Prasad Verma about his nexus with the BJP in the demolition of the Ayodhya structure.’’ It is baseless allegation without any truth,’’ he said and added: “If Government orders a probe he is ready to face that.”
While answering a query SP leader ruled out any impact of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in Uttar Pradesh during the lok Sabha elections. “He (Narendra Modi) is just a media hype and it will fall flat in the elections,” he said.
Yadav also denied differences with Shahi Imam of Jama Maszid Ahmed Bukhari and claimed that they had met several times in the recent times. ‘’There is no difference between us and we frequently meet either in Delhi or in lucknow,’’ he said.