Agra: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said the same party was needed in power in both Uttar Pradesh as well as the Centre for the state's development.

He also flayed the pre-poll alliance between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party.

Uttar Pradesh needs a double-barrel weapon -- same party in the state and the Centre -- for speedy development. It is a 'gathbandhan' of opportunists, for loot, crime and goonda raj. Everyone is aware how many scams the Congress has been involved in, the Law and Justice Minister told IANS.

Till a few months ago, Congressmen were talking of 'UP Behaal: 27 Saal' while playing cot politics, but now they had joined hands. The fear is that Uttar Pradesh could sink deeper into the morass, Prasad said.

The minister defended the November 8 demonetisation and claimed the decision had effectively contained black money, terrorism, hawala operations and Left-Wing Extremism.

--IANS