Beni shoots mouth, says it’s Rahul vs Modi now
21 Aug 2012 6:51 AM IST
The steel minister Beni Prasad Verma, who has the knack of grabbing headlines with his comments, surprised many on Monday when he said that the 2014 General Election will see a direct fight between the Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.
His remark is seen as a jibe at the Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had earlier commented that after the 2014 election, a third front will emerge as the front-runner. Verma said, 'The government will either be of the Congress or Modi. Why is the Samajwadi Party misleading. Does the public not understand all this? if Rahul Gandhi is our candidate, then the election in 2014 is direct fight between him and the Gujrat chief minister Narendra Modi. No other party stands in between.' He added that the Samajwadi Party chief was daydreaming if he thought that he could become the prime minister of the country.
Verma has upset the Samajwadi Party enough with these comments for it to demand his removal from the cabinet. Its leader Mohan Singh said on Monday that if Verma is not removed as minister, the Samajwadi Party may withdraw support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Verma is the second UPA minister after Salman Khurshid who has openly aired his views of Gandhi taking a larger role in the party and the government. The steel minister, however, refrained from drawing a parallel between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Gandhi. 'If Rahul Gandhi becomes prime minister, he will do so with the blessing of Manmohan Singh,' said Verma.
While Verma's comments about Gandhi generated enough buzz on Monday, the comment he made on Sunday about inflation attracted criticism from various political parties. The minister had said that he was happy over the rising prices of food items as it will benefit farmers. 'Dal, atta, rice and vegetables have become expensive. The more the prices, the better it is for farmers. I am happy with this inflation,' said Verma. He, however, later clarified that he spoke in the interest of farmers so that they could a better deal in the market.
Responding to the comment, Khurshid said that it should be viewed in the right context. 'If the farmer gets a good price for his yield, then it is inevitable that market prices will also go up,' said Khurshid.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, said that the Congress celebrates inflation. The Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav criticised Verma. He said, 'By making this kind of statement, Verma has revealed his poor understanding of farmers' problems.' [With agency inputs]
His remark is seen as a jibe at the Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had earlier commented that after the 2014 election, a third front will emerge as the front-runner. Verma said, 'The government will either be of the Congress or Modi. Why is the Samajwadi Party misleading. Does the public not understand all this? if Rahul Gandhi is our candidate, then the election in 2014 is direct fight between him and the Gujrat chief minister Narendra Modi. No other party stands in between.' He added that the Samajwadi Party chief was daydreaming if he thought that he could become the prime minister of the country.
Verma has upset the Samajwadi Party enough with these comments for it to demand his removal from the cabinet. Its leader Mohan Singh said on Monday that if Verma is not removed as minister, the Samajwadi Party may withdraw support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Verma is the second UPA minister after Salman Khurshid who has openly aired his views of Gandhi taking a larger role in the party and the government. The steel minister, however, refrained from drawing a parallel between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Gandhi. 'If Rahul Gandhi becomes prime minister, he will do so with the blessing of Manmohan Singh,' said Verma.
While Verma's comments about Gandhi generated enough buzz on Monday, the comment he made on Sunday about inflation attracted criticism from various political parties. The minister had said that he was happy over the rising prices of food items as it will benefit farmers. 'Dal, atta, rice and vegetables have become expensive. The more the prices, the better it is for farmers. I am happy with this inflation,' said Verma. He, however, later clarified that he spoke in the interest of farmers so that they could a better deal in the market.
Responding to the comment, Khurshid said that it should be viewed in the right context. 'If the farmer gets a good price for his yield, then it is inevitable that market prices will also go up,' said Khurshid.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, said that the Congress celebrates inflation. The Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav criticised Verma. He said, 'By making this kind of statement, Verma has revealed his poor understanding of farmers' problems.' [With agency inputs]
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