BJP demands probe into SP's 'charas' charges against Beni

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday demanded a high-level inquiry into Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav's allegations -- of opium smuggling and using charas -- against Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma.

"Shivpal Yadav is a senior (state) cabinet minister and if he has levelled allegations against the Union minister, he must have done it responsibly. A high-level inquiry should be conducted into the matter," said BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak.

Shivpal had on Sunday accused the Congress minister of "smuggling opium" and "using charas".

Accusing both the Congress and SP for taking political dignity to a "new low", Pathak said, "The manner in which the Congress and the SP leaders are trading charges against one another for the last few months has brought shame to politics."

He also demanded a high-level probe into Beni's allegations that SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has "links with terrorists".

The BJP leader said that initially, Beni accused Mulayam of having terrorist links, and then said he had cheated Muslims and the Lok Sabha election would be SP's funeral procession.

"The SP leaders hit back, alleging that the Union minister has lost his mental balance and demanded his dismissal from the cabinet. What message do both the parties want to give to those who practice politics in the name of Mahatma Gandhi and Ram Manohar Lohia," he asked.