Ruling Samajwadi Party today slammed BJP and Congress for their choice of office bearers in Uttar Pradesh, saying inclusion of Muzaffarnagar riot accused Suresh Rana and hate speech accused Imran Masood respectively showed "growing desperation" of these parties ahead of 2017 Assembly polls.
Controversial BJP MLA Rana, who is one of the 15 vice presidents appointed by the party yesterday, was booked under the stringent National Security Act for allegedly inciting a mob during 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots and was sent to jail.
Masood, who had courted controversy in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election after he allegedly made a hate speech against Narendra Modi, has been appointed as senior vice president of Congress. The Saharanpur MLA had said that he "will chop Modi into pieces".
Asked specifically about selection of Rana and Masood, Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chowdhury said, "It's a conspiracy to vitiate the atmosphere in the state. But people understand the reality and will give a befitting reply.
"It just reflects the growing desperation within BJP and Congress ahead of the crucial Assembly polls in 2017," he said.
"In politics, transparency is needed and office bearers should be of clean image. If political organisations make such a start, what will be their fate?" Chowdhury posed.
Ahead of the UP Assembly polls, BJP yesterday announced a jumbo state executive, which includes 15 vice-presidents, eight general secretaries, one treasurer, one assistant treasurer and 15 secretaries.
Reacting to Raj Babbar's appointment as the new UP Congress chief, BJP had said it has become clear that the party would continue to work as the 'B' team of SP in UP.
Appointment of actor-turned-politician Babbar as UPCC chief and inclusion of Masood as the party vice president in UP shows all is not well in Congress, a senior BJP leader said.
Babbar had contested the 2004 Lok Sabha election from Lucknow on an SP ticket against former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Born in Tundla near Agra in UP, Babbar (64) belongs to the Viswabrahmin community which is considered an OBC. He has been elected three times to Lok Sabha and is currently a Rajya Sabha member from Uttarakhand.
"Don't get bogged in the symbol dispute. It is before EC
and will get resolved," Akhilesh has been telling party workers.
The two SP factions led by Mulayam and Akhilesh have staked claim over the party and its election symbol 'cycle' ahead of Assembly elections and the EC is hearing the matter.
Mulayam, in a surprise softening of stand towards his son, recently said Akhilesh will be the next Chief Minister, but his statement failed to iron out the differences between the father-son duo on contentious issues like party president's post which Akhilesh does not want to give up.
Taking full control of the ruling party after being crowned as its head at a disputed national convention here on January 1, Akhilesh has been going whole hog consolidating his grip over the organisation by making new appointments and releasing list of candidates for the Legislative Council polls.
The seven-phase Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh will begin on February 11 and filing of nominations will start on January 17 before which the symbol dispute has to be resolved.
