New Delhi: The induction of tainted former minister Babu Singh Kushwaha is turning out to be a major headache for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Feb 4-28 Uttar Pradesh elections after a rebellion within the party over the decision.
At least three leaders — state MPs Maneka Gandhi and Yogi Adityanath and star campaigner Uma Bharti — have raised red flags over the induction of the sacked Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader who faces corruption charges in a multi-crore Uttar Pradesh health scam. He joined the BJP Tuesday.
The three leaders have openly spoken against the BJP national leadership.
Kushwaha, a prominent OBC leader from Uttar Pradesh, has been named as an accused in embezzlement in the Rs.10,000 crore health scheme in the state which goes to polls in February.
The party however tried to douse the flames justifying that the decision to accommodate a “backward class” leader was to give marginalised class their due.
“The party has received him. But that is no immunity for anything for which the law will take its full course,” said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman.
She said most backward classes were looking up to the BJP “because we are taking their fight forward in Uttar Pradesh. Other parties like the BSP, Samajwadi Party and the Congress are not serving the backward.”
But the rebel leaders refused to buy the justification.
“It does not put us in good light by inducting expelled politicians on charges of corruption of other parties. I don’t think any senior leader was consulted before taking this decision and if leaders of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh are asked then we all are very upset by it,” Maneka Gandhi told reporters here.
She said BSP leaders like Kushwaha for the past five years had put Uttar Pradesh in trouble. “They have conducted many malpractices under police protection and now they are in the BJP. I don’t think it suits us,” the BJP MP from Aaonla in the state said.
Firebrand leader Uma Bharti, who is the party incharge for Uttar Pradesh, was also miffed but refused to comment on the controversy, saying she would raise the issue with the party leadership.
“I will say whatever I have to within the party forum. I don’t speak to the media about party issues,” Uma Bharti, who is in the middle of the election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, told reporters in Kanpur.
The most vocal criticism came from Gorakhpur parliamentarian Yogi Adityanath who threatened to quit the party and politics if the induction of Kushwaha was not revoked immediately.
“This shows how politics has stooped so low. This is a point of worry for us and is also an insult to us. We cannot tolerate this,” Adityanath told reporters. (IANS)