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Varanasi, Apr 27 (UNI) Alleging that terrorism in Uttar Pradesh was at par with terror in the troubled Jammu and Kashmir, BJP today blamed the ruling Samajwadi Party and other secular parties in the state for the menace.

''Our patriotic senses were hurt when we heard about anti-India slogans being raised and flags of banned terror outfits being fluttered in the recent Srinagar rally of separatist Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. But the situation is equally serious in UP, where at least 34 districts are in the grip of terrorism,'' BJP national vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said here.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Naqvi said ''present UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav had himself conceded on the floor of state assembly in May 2006 about strong roots of terrorism in 34 UP districts of the state, which speaks volumes about the equal existence of banned terror groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in UP and J&K.'' ''If Congress led UPA government is responsible for uncontrollable terrorism in the valley, the SP government is to be blamed for similar situation in UP. The politics of Muslim appeasement pursued by SP and other secular parties except the BJP has been the genesis for spread of terrorism in the state.'' ''When Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav gave the certificate of nationalism to banned SIMI, no other party but the BJP protested it.

All other secular parties like the SP are abetting terror network in the state by pursuing the politics of minority appeasement solely for votes,'' Mr Naqvi said.

Terming the ongoing assembly polls as a mandate against uncontrolled terrorism and price rise in Congress led UPA rule at the centre as well as against the misgovernance of Mulayam Singh Yadav government in UP, the BJP leader said ''if any party helped Congress or SP in coming to power in the state it will amount to insult of the popular mandate.'' Reiterating that the party's decision of forming the government in UP with BSP in 2002 was a mistake, Mr Naqvi said ''we will not commit the mistake in future as our party will come to power with a clear majority.'' ''We fought the 2002 assembly polls in UP without our chief ministerial candidate Kalyan Singh. This time Mr Singh's return plus the alliance with the Apna Dal and JD(U) will add at least seven per cent more votes to the BJP tally and consequently the party will form the next government in the state with a clear majority,'' Mr Naqvi claimed.

Mr Naqvi further said BJP was the only alternative to the ruling SP in the state. ''While the ruling SP is immersed in the cauldron of crime and lawlessness, the Mayawati led BSP is full of pride and has nothing concrete for the development of the state.'' UNI