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Opposing the VHP yatra, Congress on Sunday targeted the Samajwadi Party and BJP, claiming it was a purely political exercise and that both parties were "enacting a drama" under an "understanding" between them.
"Matchfixing in Ayodhya?," tweeted Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh.
"The demolition of the Babri Mosque as well as this yatra is drama of BJP and Samajwadi Party, but it would have no impact as both Hindus and Muslims are well aware of their designs," Union Minister for Steel Beni Prasad Verma told reporters here.
Referring to the closed-door meeting between VHP leaders and SP chief, Verma asked how VHP leader Pravin Togadia reached Ayodhya despite massive deployment of security personnel and why Ashok Singhal was allowed to reach Lucknow when he could have been stopped in Delhi.
Echoing Verma's view, Union minister of State for Human Resource and Development Jitin Prasad said in Lakhimpur that "both parties (BJP and SP) are indulging into a fixed match eying their respective vote banks and thus attempting to befool people of Uttar Pradesh".
"The people of the state are fully aware of these political gimmicks and will give a befitting response at the appropriate time," said Prasad, who laid the foundation stone of Shroff Charity Eye Hospital at Sahdeva village in Mohammadi area of Lakhimpur.
Claiming that the "drama" would not help the BJP and SP, Verma said, "Congress would win all the seats which fall on the parikrama route."
The Congress and RLD combine would get 50 Lok Sabha seats in UP and the UPA would come to power for the third term, he said, adding that as other Congress leaders like UPCC chief Nirmal Khatri and former chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi were not speaking strongly against the SP and BJP he had come here.
Verma, quoting some BJP MPs, said that LK Advani had told party leaders that in case the party fell short of 10 to 20 MPs to form the government after next Lok Sabha polls, Mulayam Singh would be taken along.
UP minster Azam Khan, however, dismissed allegation of "matchfixing" between the SP and BJP.
When asked about Digvijay Singh's tweet, Khan said, "he is in the habit of vomiting senseless comments. Why to waste time in responding to such utterances.
