SP, BSP will continue to back UPA: Beni

Playing down the threat by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to bring a no-confidence motion against the UPA government in the winter session of Parliament, Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma on Monday said the UPA has sufficient numbers and that the SP and the BSP would continue to support the government at the Centre.

"Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav would continue to support the UPA government; you know this and I also know this," Verma said.

The minister also said he was confident of the UPA coming to power again in 2014 as "there is no other alternative before the country".

Vema said he might have some complaints from the previous UP government regarding execution of projects, "but since Akhilesh is like his nephew, he had no complaints against the present UP government". However, he said even though he will "always remain soft on Akhilesh", he will always remain "hard" on his father Mulayam.

He said that elections to the Lok Sabha would be held in 2014 and, unlike other parties, the Congress was in no hurry to declare its candidates. Asked about his own candidature from Gonda, the parliamentary constituency from where he is the MP, Verma said, "Have I ever changed my area?"

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