BJP says Congress is engaged in a 'friendly fight' with SP, BSP

Agra, Feb 19 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Arun Jaitley said here on Sunday that the Congress party is involved in a 'friendly fight' with their competitors, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), as it requires support of one of them to form a government at the centre.

Addressing mediapersons, Jaitley said: "The Congress will keep trying, since they know they will get limited seats in Uttar Pradesh, but they want that anyhow a situation arises in the state that they get the support of either SP or BSP and with the help of that support, they can rectify the situation, which is going to be topsy-turvy at the centre."

He added that this was a good opportunity to bring in sweeping changes in the battleground of Uttar Pradesh, but Congress party played a caste card and attempted to deter development in the state.

Recently, Union Law Minister, Salman Khurshid, had said that if the Congress party was voted to power in the state, the sub-quota for Muslims would be increased to nine per cent within the 27 per cent reservation meant for Other Backward Classes (OBC).

The Election Commission (EC) slapped a notice on Khurshid, which said that he had violated the 'Model Code of Conduct' over the minority reservation issue.

Jaitley asserted that the BJP believed in development politics, which was the exact opposite of the Congress party's policies.

"This was a very big opportunity for Uttar Pradesh, but what is unfortunate is after talking about the reservation based on caste, the Congress tried to deter development through its agenda. BJP run state governments are doing well in terms of development, economic prosperity, employment, campaign against corruption and we are trying our best to avert conflicts in society, this is our agenda during elections," said Jaitley.

He commented that Congress's ties with its ally, Trinamool Congress, had severed, since the regional party was opposing the Congress on issues like Lokayukta, hike in petrol prices as well as other problems.

Jaitley, while referring to Khurshid and Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma, further said that stringent action must be taken against casteist individuals, who attempt to divide the society on communal lines.

"See, strict action must be taken, I say this because in common law too, the person who repeatedly violates laws, they are referred to as 'history-sheeters'. These two people have become history sheeters, as they have violated the code of conduct and are intentionally violating laws again and again, which is why the Election Commission must carry out an investigation and take stringent action," said Jaitley.

Recently, addressing a mass rally in Farrukhabad district of the state on Wednesday Verma said if they were to form the government, they would provide reservation to the religious minorities.

Polling in 403 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh is being held in seven phases.

The fourth phase of polling concluded on February 19. Three more phases still remain, with the last scheduled to take place on March 3.

The results would be announced on March 6. (ANI)