BJP pulls up UP Govt. for inducting 'controversial' Raja Bhaiya

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday ridiculed the Uttar Pradesh Government for re-instating controversial Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya into the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet, and said that they cannot expect anything more out of the ruling Samajwadi Party in the state.

"The Samajwadi Party is trying to ensure justice to him and if persons like Shivpal Yadav and Azam khan can become political leaders then why not Raja Bhaiya. I feel that we cannot expect anything more from this government," BJP leader Yogi Adityanath said here in Gorakhpur.

Another BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh said his party is not bothered about people like Raja Bhaiya, or the Akhilesh Yadav-led UP Government.

"BJP does not care whether Raja Bhaiya stays in cabinet or not, and we are not bothered whatever Akhilesh Yadav does in his party. They must first deal with the communalism they are spreading in the state," he said.

Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Atul Anjan refused to comment on the induction of Raja Bhaiya after CBI gave him a clean chit in connection with the murder of Kunda DSP Zia-ul-Haq.

"Raghuraj Pratap Singh was in cabinet, and he was dropped because of one DSP murder in his constituency. We were all demanding that the CBI must probe the entire episode. Now, it is said that CBI has given a clean chit. We do not want to make any comment on the CBI decision," he said.

Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav expanded his Cabinet after a gap of almost three months by inducting controversial Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya as a minister.

Raja Bhaiya, who received a clean chit from the CBI in connection with the murder of Kunda DSP Zia-ul-Haq, took oath at Raj Bhavan function here.

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The independent MLA, who had to resign in March this year after he was named in the FIR by slain cop's wife Parveen Azad, had earlier after receiving a clean chit from the CBI, said that he had been framed in the conspiracy.

Akhilesh Yadav, who was also present at the oath-taking ceremony, had expanded his Cabinet last on July 18.