Patna: Absconding Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Dayashankar Singh who kicked off a nationwide furore after he made derogatory remarks against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati was arrested in Bihar on Friday.
Singh, who had been on the run after an arrest warrant was issued against him last week, was found hiding in the house of a close relative.
Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh police raided a house in Buxur district and arrested Singh. Subsequently, he was taken to Lucknow where a case has been registered against him.
Singh drew criticism cutting across party lines when he likened the BSP chief to a “prostitute” who, he alleged, was selling party tickets ahead of upcoming state elections. The remarks drew strong protests from the BSP and raised much heat in parliament.
With the crucial UP elections round the corner, the BJP was only too quick to apologise and also expelled Singh from the party for misconduct.
A case was also registered against Singh as the BSP remained adamant on seeking legal action against him. The case was registered against him with the Hazratganj police station on July 20 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The court refused to consider Singh’s request for a stay on the arrest warrant against him. Subsequently, he went into hiding. He was last seen offering prayers at a prominent temple to the Shiva deity at Deoghar in Jharkhand, a state ruled by the BJP.
This prompted Mayawati to launch a blistering attack on the BJP for allegedly “shielding” the absconding accused. “Dayashankar Singh is in Jharkhand, which is ruled by the BJP, which clearly means he is being protected,” she had told the media on Wednesday in Delhi.
