As if Union Mminister for Steel Beni Prasad Verma's tirade against SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was not enough,now UP Congress chief Nirmal Khatri too bared his fangs at the ruling party.
Khatri threatened to launch a state-wide stir against the Akhilesh Yadav government for its anti-people policies and declared that his party would field candidates against Mulayam Singh Yadav and his kihn in their backyards in the next Parliament polls.
"My party brass and I are of the view that we should contest all Parliamentary seats in state. This include SP dominated areas of Etawah, Mainpuri, Kannuaj and Aurriya and defeat the sitting MPs in their bastion," asserted Khatri revferring to growing demand of local leaders on contesting these seats.
The UPCC chief claimed that they would not like to give any walkover to any partyin the next polls. However, he said that a final call in this regard would be taken by the Central leadership.
The statement holds significance as Beni Prasad Verma has declared that his party would try to defeat Mulayam Singh Yadav in next lok Sabha poll and will not hesitate to seek support of BSP to meet the end.
In the 2009 lok Sabha polls, Congress contested 63 of the 80 seats in UP and did not contest from Etawah, Mainpuri, Kannauj , Firozabad,Ballia, Sant Kabirnagar and Ambedkarnagar - the strong hold of SP.
During the Kannauj by-polls too, they did not field any candidate against Mulayam’s daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav, who was earlier defeated by Congress candidate Raj Babbar in Ferozababd.
Meanwhile detailing his meeting with AICC general secretary and UP in-charge, Madhusudan Mistri in lucknow, Khatri told media persons on Tuesday that Mistri directed that the leaders aggressively protest the state government's failure.Sources said that Mistri cautioned the cadre and without naming Beni Prasad Verma, asked them not to use derogatory language against the SP or its leaders during their protests.
Mistri also announced a new system for giving lok Sabha tickets to Congress candidates in UP. ''This time candidates names would be recommended by block to state level committes in the presence of observers. This has already being introduced for Assembly polls in Rajasthan, MP and Delhi,'' Khatri informed.
Mistri felt that lok Sabha candidates in UP should be announced five months prior to the elections. Though almost all senior leaders participated in the meeting, Union Minister of Coal Sriprakash Jaiswal was conspicous by his absence.
Earlier Mistri inaugurated the Zonal office at the state Party headquarters at Mall Avenue. On Wednesday, he will be holding similar meetings in Faizabad and on July 11 at Gorakhpur.