Some Congressmen trying to appease Narendra Modi: Beni Prasad Verma

Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Beni Prasad Verma said on Tuesday that the Gandhi family had always been betrayed by those whom they trusted the most.

"History proves this and this has happened in the times of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and now with Rahul ji. People considered close to the family are the ones who betray them and that is mainly because the Gandhi family allows regional leaders to wield power and openly vent their views," he told journalists here.

Verma said that the BSP did not win even a single seat in the Lok Sabha elections and the Samajwadi Party did not win seats outside the family but there were no voices of dissent in these parties.

"No one said that Mayawati or Mulayam Singh or Akhilesh Yadav were responsible for their parties' debacle but in Congress everyone is taking pot shots at Sonia ji and Rahul. Did the Gandhis do everything in elections? Were other leaders not responsible for making a weak strategy and ignoring the power of publicity? Were those responsible for deciding on tickets not accountable?" he asked.

Asked about the statement against Rahul Gandhi, the former union minister said, "It is obvious that some people in the party want to please Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their personal gains. These are the people who have benefited the most from the Congress and cannot survive in opposition," he explained.

He said Congressmen who were praising Modi belonged to this category.

Asked whether he appreciated the work done by the Prime Minister, Verma said, "What has he done till now? All that he has done is to continue the work of UPA government. The Jan Dhan scheme is actually UPA's cash benefit transfer scheme."

Verma further said that the high command was well aware of all that was happening within the party and it was up to them to take action wherever necessary.

Replying to a question on Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chauhan's statement that Rahul Gandhi should have accepted a ministerial post in the Manmohan government, Verma said if he had taken up a ministerial position, the opposition would have accused the UPA of having three power centres.

"I do not know why Chavan said that but he should have thought twice before making such a statement. If Rahul Gandhi declined the post, he had a reason for doing so," he stated.

To another question, Verma said leaders who raised the issue of Muslim reservation were responsible for the downfall of the Congress.

"They knew that this could not be implemented because it is a violation of the Constitution and yet they raised the issue. They obviously wanted to defeat the party and pin the blame on Rahulji because they could not digest his growing stature," he said.