BJP suspends Daya Shankar Singh for six years

The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Wednesday suspended Uttar Pradesh unit Vice-President Daya Shankar Singh for six years following his alleged obscene comments on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati.

Earlier, he was sacked from all party posts.

The decision to suspend Singh was taken by BJP president Amit Shah, informed sources said.

Before coming to the decision to suspend Singh, Shah discussed the matter with state party leaders, including state party chief Keshav Prasad Maurya.

"BJP does not approve such remarks and we strongly condemn it. This was the reason we have removed Singh from all party posts with immediate effect," Maurya told the reporters.

Singh, at a press conference in the Mau district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, had said that the BSP chief was giving party tickets based on the amount of money paid to her and that even a prostitute was better than her.

His comments caused an uproar in the Rajya Sabha with the BSP leaders leading a vociferous protest. Not happy with mere removal of Singh as party office bearer, the BSP leaders demanded his arrest.

Singh, a student leader who rose in the BJP ranks recently, had unsuccessfully contested the recent polls for the Legislative Council. Last week he was appointed the party's Vice-President in Uttar Pradesh.