Varanasi: Stepping up its offensive against Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), the Congress today (Dec 11, 2004) said SP's secular credentials were "questionable" and threatened to launch Statewide agitation against the Mulayam Singh Government.

SP's secular credentials was questionable in the backdrop of the party's role in the Assembly elections in Gujarat and Maharashtra in which it had put up its candidates against Congress nominees "to boost" the prospects of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)-Shiv Sena combine, UPCC president Salman Khursheed told reporters in Varanasi.

The SP-led Government has also failed to issue a fresh notification in the Babri Mosque demolition case for trial of the BJP president L K Advani, he alleged.

The UPCC president alleged that BJP did not bring no-confidence motion against the State Government despite having the numbers in the State Assembly as the saffron party had "vested political interests in propping up" the ruling party.

Khursheed said that the law and order situation had deteriorated in the State and the economic development had come to a standstill under the present dispensation and asserted that the Congress despite extending outside support to the ruling coalition, would continue to speak against the State Government on the issues of public concern.