Opposition parties grab tainted BSP leaders

LUCKNOW: UP chief minister and BSP supremo Mayawati's ‘discards’ are now turning out be ‘assets' for the opposition parties. The ministers and MLAs sacked by her on charges of corruption and involvement in criminal activities are getting tickets for other parties for the upcoming assembly elections. Latest in the series is Rajpal Tygai who has been fielded by SP from Muradnagar assembly seat in Ghaziabad.
Tyagi was dropped by Mayawati from her cabinet last month after the High Court ordered a CBI probe into a fake encounter case. Rajpal Tyagi has been accused of influencing police to kill his rival Ravindra Tyagi in a fake encounter last year. A Lokayukta probe against him is also in the final stage.
However, SP on Wednesday replaced Dikshant Tyagi, who was earlier given ticket from Muradnagar, with Tygai. The SP leaders said that the High Court has only ordered an inquiry against Rajpal Tyagi. He has not been found guilty as yet, they said. Significantly, earlier, two MLAs -- Guddu Pandit and Sher Bahadur Singh -- expelled by Mayawati on charges of involvement in criminal activities were also given ticket by the SP. SP is not the only party to grab expelled BSP MLAs and ministers. BJP has given tickets to three ministers in Mayawati government -- Daddan Mishra, Awdhesh Kumar Verma and Badshah Singh. The three leaders were sacked by Mayawati on charges of corruption and neglecting their constituencies. Badshah Singh was indicted by the Lokayukta.
BJP had also inducted former family welfare minister in Mayawati cabinet Babu Singh Kushwaha, who is prime suspect in National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam. Mayawati had removed and later expelled Kushwaha after surfacing of NRHM scam. The BJP was forced to suspend Kushwaha’s membership after some senior leaders opposed his induction. However, Kushwaha is campaigning for BJP for the elections to be held in February.
RLD has also given tickets for elections to three tainted BSP MLAs -- Thakur Yashpal Singh, Haji Yakub Quereshi and Shanawaz Rana. While Yashpal Singh was expelled by Mayawati on corruption charges, Quereshi was axed for his alleged derogatory remarks for Sikh community and Rana for trying to protect his nephew accused of kidnapping and raping two Delhi-based girls.
Election 2012 News
UP Assembly Election 2012