Union Steel Minister and senior Congress leader Beni Prasad Verma on Tuesday charged SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav with violating the ideology of Ram Manohar lohia by organising Brahmin sammelans. He also charged the SP with conniving with the BJP in its maiden attempt to demolish the Babri mosque on October 30,1990.
"lohia always opposed caste-based politics and gave the slogan of 'Jaat toro, samaj joro'. By holding Brahmin sammelans, the SP has proved that it has moved away from the ideology of the great Socialist thinker for the sake of vote-bank politics," Verma stressed, while speaking to newspersons in lucknow on Tuesday.Regretting his two-decade old truck with the SP chief, Verma said that there was a plot by then CM Mulayam Singh Yadav with the BJP to demolish the Babri mosque on October 30,1990.
"Yadav had conspired to remove all Central forces from Ayodhya on October 30, 1990, as Advani was entering UP in his rath. The move was to facilitate kar sewaks a free hand in demolishing the structure. Ashok Singhal and Sirish Chandra Dixit were at Ayodhya to lead karsewaks with hammers and other tools to demolish it," he further claimed.
The Union minister said that then Faizabad SSP Subhash Joshi decided to open fire at marauding kar sewaks at Hanumangarhi which changed the situation. As 14 kar sewaks were killed, Yadav conveniently adorned the secular image. "later, Joshi was severely reprimanded by officials in lucknow for opening fire at kar sewaks without orders from authorities," he claimed.
"Yadav rang me up on October 30,1990, at noon that the Babri mosque had been demolished. later, officials said that there was a minor damage which had been repaired," he stated. Verma added that it was Yadav who renamed the Ayodhya police station as Ram Janmabhoomi police station on the BJP recommendation. Besides, he also went to the guest house at Matatila in Jhansi, where Advani was lodged after his arrest during the Ayodhya movement.
Speaking about the political scenario, Verma said that there was no threat to the UPA-II government. He reiterated that Rahul Gandhi would be the next PM and ruled out dispute between the Congress and the UPA-II government over the recent resignations of two Union ministers.
The Union minister, however, refrained from commenting on the statement of Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on the judiciary. ''It is the duty of the judiciary to intervene if there is any lapses in the functioning of the government," he observed.
Verma also dismissed that there would be any pre-poll alliance in UP during the lok Sabha polls and stressed that the Congress would fight the polls alone in the state.
Reiterating that the Congress would be the major gainer in UP in the lok Sabha polls, he said that the ruling SP would be the worst loser and its tally would not cross four seats.
When queried on the CAG report on spending of 90 per cent funds by steel companies under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Gonda and Barabanki, Verma claimed that both areas were backward which was why the funds were spent.
''The steel companies will continue to spend funds under CSR in these areas for the all-round development,'' Verma announced.