Congress asks Beni Prasad Verma to explain his “B team” remark

NEW DELHI: Congress has sought an explanation from the outspoken Cabinet minister and Congress Working Committee member Beni Prasad Verma over remarks in which the UP leader has accused certain Uttar Pradesh Congressmen of working as a “B team” of the Samajwadi Party.

Congress general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh, Madhusudan Mistry, spoke to Verma, the Union minister for steel, soon after television channels started flashing his controversial remarks on Tuesday night. Mistry has sought an explanation from Verma, whose previous comments about Mulayam Singh Yadav in which he called the SP supremo a criminal, have got the Congress into trouble.

On Wednesday, the party sought to distance itself from Verma’s latest remarks, with spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit telling reporters: “He speaks in his own manner. Sometimes he makes statements, which are not the party’s stand.”

Verma has accused certain local Congressmen of working as ruling SP’s “B team” in return of favours and aiding the party’s rout in the 2012 assembly polls. “Congress is being sold and Congressmen are selling the party. In return, SP is obliging them with high security cover, government bungalows and money,” he said at a press conference in Lucknow.

He refused to identify the Congressmen and said the ticket distribution was stage-managed to ensure there was no contest in many places. He said Congress tickets were sold in Gonda, Rae Bareli and Barabanki. Verma, an MP from Gonda, also said Congressmen had transferred funds they received to contest the polls to the SP. “They acted as informers and briefed the SP candidates every evening about internal party matters,” he said.