Defence minister and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav yesterday accused BJP of carrying out a political vendetta against UP Governor Romesh Bhandar. He asserted there was no substance in the charge that law and order in that state had collapsed under Bhandaris rule.
Addressing a meet-the-press programme organised by Madhya Pradesh press club, he, however, made it clear that there was no difference of perception between him and Union home minister Indrajit Gupta on law and order in Uttar Pradesh.
However, Gupta told Parliament last week that UP was heading towards anarchy and chaos, a statement contested by Bhandari.
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Yadav said BJPs real fight in Uttar Pradesh was with Samajwadi Party, but it was attacking Bhandari.
He said BJP was unnecessarily dragging bhandari into a controversy.
The defence minister said the Uttar Pradesh Governor had not done anything wrong by not inviting BJP to form the government in that state although it emerged the largest single party in last years assembly poll.
BJP in Uttar Pradesh had not yet not submitted to the Governor a list of of MLAs who supported the party.
The BJP had been only saying that it should be invited to form the government after which it would prove its majority in the Assembly.
There is no meaning in the BJP claim that it would prove its majority in Uttar Pradesh Assembly after it was invited to form a government, the Samajwadi Party chief said. He said there was no possibility of formation of a government in Uttar Pradesh until the Supreme Court gave its verdict on the case relating to extension of Presidents rule in that state.
The defence minister reiterated that Congress should support Samajwadi Party in forming a government in Uttar Pradesh just as it had done in New Delhi to keep the communal forces out.
Replying to a question, he said the Congress was free to criticise the United Front government but the criticism should not be such that helps the communal forces.