The Bharatiya Janata Party had welcomed ex-Bahajun Samaj Party leader Babu Singh Kushwaha, alongside other ousted ministers from BSP -- Badshah Singh and Awadhesh Verma -- into the party cadres amid much fanfare on Tuesday.
But within 24 hours of the decision, and after the Central Bureau of Investigation conducted about 50 raids investigating Kushwaha's alleged involvement in the National Rural Health Mission scam, the BJP on Wednesday said that it is neither planning on giving a ticket to run election to Kushwaha nor was he being seen as a star campaigner for the party.
"Our party's stand against corruption and those involved in scams is very clear," explained BJP National President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. "All those who are involved should be investigated and strict action as per law should be taken against them."
Naqvi said that the BJP had been in the forefront of highlighting scams and providing supporting documents related to charges of corruption in NREGA and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's disproportionate assets case.
However, the party seems to be in a rethink over the decision of accepting Kushwaha into the party. While talking to the press on Wednesday, and explaining the BJP's stand on the recent raids by the CBI, Naqvi even refrained from naming Kushwaha openly.
"We had provided documents to the CBI on important cases of corruption. But they have either been lost or have been already burnt," he accused the CBI saying it has been working on the directives of the Central government.
"The BJP is not a protection shield for anyone; if somebody is guilty, then they should be punished," he said. "But it should be applicable to all. There cannot be selective action on a few," he argued.
Naqvi further questioned the timing of the raids and asked, "Why are the raids being conducted now? Has the CBI got hold of some new documents recently?"
He accused the Congress and the BJP to have arrived at a 'maha deal' co-conspired by Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh. "Rahul and Digvijay have stuck a 'maha' deal with the BSP to cover the corruption at the center and the scams ridden in Uttar Pradesh," he said.
"The trails of corruption in UP lead to Mayawati, but the CBI is silent on it and sides with the chief minister's version of the death of Dr Sachan," Naqvi said questioning CBI's report on the doctor's death.
But the inclusion of Kushwaha in the party and a day later his becoming the subject of involvement in a much-publicised scam, has left a bitter taste in the BJP. While the party might have hoped to swing a few percent of backward votes in its favor, it is now not clear what role Kushwaha will play in the BJP.
And though it would be difficult for the party to distance itself from the controversy over Kushwaha's inclusion in the party, Naqvi said, "We will not let this issue overpower the real issues in the UP elections."
