Khurshid, Beni remarks at Sonia's behest: Gadkari

 BJP president Nitin Gadkari today alleged Union ministers Salman Khurshid and Beni Prasad Verma had dared the Election Commission over the minority sub-quota issue at the behest of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

"They have dared the Election Commission to do whatever it likes. It has all been at the instance of Sonia Gandhi who has not yet broken her silence on the matter," he told a poll rally here.

Both Khurshid and Verma were communal faces of the Congress, Gadkari said.
SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav had also promised to raise the Muslim quota, but "from where these leaders will extend reservation to the community," the BJP leader asked.

The Supreme Court had already fixed the quota limit to 50 per cent, he said adding these leaders should tell the people how they would fulfil their promises.
Alleging these parties were betraying the people, the BJP chief said for doing any such thing a constitutional amendment was required.

Targeting the UPA government at the Centre, he said it was neck-deep in corruption. "Some of its ministers are in jail and one is expected to go to jail soon."Attacking Chief Minister Mayawati, the BJP president alleged the people of the state were tired of corruption in her regime.

"She, her ministers and officers are so corrupt that her government's corruption has become the talk of lanes and bylanes," he said.

Gadkari also slammed SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav alleging there was Goonda Raj during his party's rule in the state.

On Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Gadkari said "recently he tore a paper but soon he will tear his clothes." Addressing an election rally in Agra, the BJP president termed the row involving Union ministers Salman Khurshid and Beni Prasad Verma with Election Commission as "unfortunate".

"The silence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue makes it clear that the two are in agreement with the defiance of these ministers," Gadkari alleged.

He said his party supported ousted BSP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha in his crusade for the rights of backward classes, but will admit him in the BJP only after he is cleared of all the charges against him.

Later at the rally, Kushwaha alleged that he was forcibly removed from his house by the Mayawati government after his ouster from the state cabinet.