THE CONGRESS has played the Kurmi-Muslim card in many districts of Uttar Pradesh in the wake of ongoing assembly elections in order to consolidate its political presence in the Hindi heartland. Its leader Beni Parsad Verma has become the Congress mascot who has been carrying the torch of Congress party, and wants to see the Congress win these seats so that his position in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) becomes unquestionable and that can also protect his “larger than life” image, which he has carved out in recent times before the 10 Janpath, and he has been seen by many in the Congress as a big Kurmi leader whereas those who have been working in the political circles and who know Beni Prasad Verma from close quarter, would tell the reality at the ground level is not the same.

Union Steel minister Beni Prasad Verma who has also become the second Union minister after the Law minister Salman Khurshid to get involved in a verbal duel with the Election Commission over his statement backing the latter over the Muslim reservation assurance, has been instrumental in distributing the Congress tickets this time in over 100 seats in the districts of Barabanki, Gonda, Bahraich, Faizabad, Lakhimpur-Kheri, Sitapur, Pilibhit, etc. is also under attack nowadays from a Muslim woman belonging to a backward caste, Shakira Khatoon who has alleged that Beni Prasad Verma and his son Rakesh Verma was instrumental in orchestrating the Masauli riots in 2006 in which Alim, Hafiz Abutalah Ansari were killed.

Shakira Khatoon who has also written an open letter to the Congress general secretary, Rahul Gandhi, about a month back seeking justice and financial assistance from the Yuvraj for her ailing husband Rehan, was shattered in tears after her ailing husband Rehan died Thursday morning before the help could reach out to him.

Now, as the elections are in progress in the state of Uttar Pradesh and the Muslim community members especially of the Barabanki district not happy with the way the Congress has handled the issue, the Congress could suffer a major political setback in this region. What if the Congress loses some 50-60 seats in this region of Uttar Pradesh where Muslim vote plays a crucial role, will it going to sack Beni Prasad Verma from the party and from the Ministry as well?

Recently, Beni Prasad Verma had said to the media that Congress MP from Barabanki P L Punia was from Punjab. Was he trying to shift the onus of failure in anticipation on P L Punia’s shoulders? If the Congress gets a defeat in the assembly elections in the den of Beni Prasad Verma, then whom should the party blame for? Will P L Punia becomes the scapegoat then for the deeds of Beni Prasad Verma?

Political pundits here feel that the shadow of Masauli riots in 2006 and now the death of Rehan, would severely dent the Congress prospects in these elections especially in the eastern districts of Uttar Pradesh and as Beni Prasad ignored many dedicated Congressmen of the state while giving away party tickets to contest on seats where the Congress could have won on its own this time following anti-incumbency factor. The results would reveal now whether the decision to give an absolute freehand to Beni Prasad Verma in picking up the candidates rather his own ‘yes-man’ was the courageous one or the suicidal for the Congress party.

All eyes would be on the Congress general secretary, Rahul Gandhi, who has been conducting whirlwind tours of the state in anticipation that the Congress would form the next government in the state, as he believes the youth want change and development in Uttar Pradesh. But if his dream gets shattered then Beni Prasad Verma would be the man going to be held responsible for the debacle, and he must get ready himself to say so in the media after March 6.