Lucknow, Sep 21 (IANS): The Congress Saturday blamed the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the recent communal riots in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. It said the two parties were trying to communalise the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, at a press conference in Lucknow, said the riots in Muzaffarnagar seem to be the beginning of preparations for the 2014 general elections.

"I believe preparations for the 2014 elections have started from Muzaffarnagar. It is just a trailer and BJP and SP both want to fight the 2014 elections on communal lines," Ramesh said.

He also blamed the state government for closing its eyes to the violence.

"The state government and administration totally ignored the situation. None of the state ministers went to the riot-hit areas and when Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) and Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) announced that they are going to the area, Chief Minister (Akhilesh Yadav) went there just the day before," Ramesh said.

Communal riots broke out in Muzaffarnagar Sep 7, leaving 48 people dead and over 40,000 homeless.