Congress should tie up with BSP: Beni Prasad Verma

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Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma on Sunday said that it is better for the Congress to forge an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) than join hands with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh.

"(BSP chief) Mayawati is thousand times better than Mulayam Singh Yadav as she has been able to bring down the crime rate in the state in the last five years. The Congress should think about forging an alliance with the BSP," the Congress leader told.

Claiming that this was his personal view, he said he would advocate an alliance with the BSP.

"The Samajwadi Party is not a secular party and has joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) several times in the past. If no one gets the needed majority in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress should form an alliance with the BSP or there should be president's rule and re-election in the state," he said.

He praised party leader Rahul Gandhi for his hardwork and backed colleague Digvijay Singh's statement that Gandhi could not be blamed if the party failed to perform better in the state.

The voting for the seven-phased election ended on Saturday and results would be out March 6.