BJP in dock over inclusion of Kushwaha in its fold

Lucknow, Jan 4 (ANI): Cutting across party lines, the leaders of various political outfits on Wednesday criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for inducting sacked Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Babu Singh Kushwaha alleged to be involved in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam into its outfit.

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said the BJP has now become a guilty party for inducting Kushwaha into its outfit.

"After the CBI raid confirmed that (Babu Singh Kushwaha) was guilty, the Bharatiya Janata Party, by taking him into their fold, became a guilty party itself. The senior leaders of the BJP need to find out whether some of the embezzled funds from the NRHM scam was given to party members in order to give (Kushwaha) shelter," he said.

Tiwari also hinted at a pre-poll alliance between the BJP and the BSP, and said that the two parties were hand-in-glove with each other in order to reap electoral benefits during the assembly elections that are scheduled to take place in Uttar Pradesh.

"It is a pre-poll alliance. The BSP is gradually sending some of its leaders to the BJP, because the latter is its B-team," Tiwari said.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan also condemned the move, and said that such instances had eroded the faith of the people in politics.

"A common problem with political parties today is the absence of ideology. They no more have any party principles, or any individual principles, only opportunism. People who have been called criminals, are a disgrace to society, are being welcomed by parties for the sake of political gains," he told the media in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur city.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) earlier in the day raided Kushwaha's residence for his alleged involvement in swindling funds allocated to the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), a Central Government's health scheme for the rural population.

The investigating agency also conducted raids at over 50 other locations in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi.

Kushwaha has been named as an accused with 50 others including government officials in FIRs registered against the NRHM officials and private companies. They have been charged with criminal misconduct and abuse of office.

Babu Singh Kushwaha, who was sacked from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in November last year, joined the BJP yesterday. (ANI)