BJP under Congress fire as CBI raids Kushwaha

Lucknow/New Delhi:  A day after inducting a tainted former Uttar Pradesh minister into its fold, the BJP was yesterday at the receiving end on the issue of corruption, with the Congress saying the party stood exposed in its commitment to fight graft.

Sacked Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Babu Singh Kushwaha was on Tuesday inducted into the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The war of words between the Congress and the BJP came as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) yesterday searched the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh premises of Kushwaha for his alleged involvement in a multi-million rupee rural health scam.

The searches, which the BJP termed as politically motivated, were conducted in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the supply of medicines and medical equipment in the Rs100 billion (Dh6.9 billion) National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in Uttar Pradesh.

"Searches were conducted in 60 locations across Uttar Pradesh and Delhi," a CBI spokesperson said. The CBI registered five new cases on Monday in connection with irregularities in the Uttar Pradesh health scam.

Kushwaha, a prominent OBC leader and once a trusted lieutenant of Chief Minister Mayawati, was removed as family welfare minister in April last year following his alleged involvement in the embezzlement. He was sacked from the BSP in November.

Justifying Kushwaha's induction, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters in New Delhi that the timing of the CBI search operation was suspect.

"The BJP is not a shield for corrupt people. But the CBI raids seem motivated. Why did the CBI take so long for carrying out searches," Naqvi told reporters.

BJP state chief Surya Pratap Shahi, who got Kushwaha into the party said "we will defend our decision" to induct him.

"Well, it is quite evident that the CBI was guided by the central government; that is why it was doing selective targeting," he said.

Other BJP leaders like Vinay Katiyar and Ananth Kumar also supported Kushwaha, saying the law will take its own course against him.

The BJP also said it would not give Kushwaha a ticket for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

"If he is found guilty then we will not be with him. We have not taken him to fight elections. We will not give him the ticket," Katiyar said.

Kumar said: "Kushwaha is one of the strongest leaders of the OBC in Uttar Pradesh. BJP is getting stronger day by day."

The Congress slammed the BJP for welcoming the tainted politician in its fold, saying the party now stood exposed on its commitment to fight corruption.

"[The BJP] is inducting such corrupt people. This shows how much commitment it has in fighting corruption in the country," said Congress' Rashid Alvi.