On the eve of the Winter Session of the UP Assembly, the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party seems to be facing a revolt in the ranks.
Babu Singh Kushwaha, a former UP minister and once a trusted lieutenant of Ms Mayawati, has written a letter to the chief minister claiming that he faces a threat to his life from his former colleague and UP Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui, UP cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh and principal home secretary Kunwar Fateh Bahadur Singh. He has sought protection from the chief minister against “conspiracies against me”.
Mr Kushwaha has forwarded copies of his letter to the Prime Minister, UP governor, Chief Justice of India, Chief Justice of UP and the CBI.
Though the former minister remained untraceable on Saturday after his letter became public, the BSP reacted sharply to his allegations.
In a press statement, BSP state president Swami Prasad Maurya said that as long as Mr Kushwaha held a ministerial post, he saw no threat from his colleagues or bureaucrats but when the noose began tightening against him in the NRHM scam and a disproportionate assets case filed in the Lokayukta office, he began levelling unsubstantiated allegations.
The BSP state president advised Mr Kushwaha to avoid such drama and cooperate in the inquiries against him.
It may be recalled that Babu Singh Kushwaha was one of the two ministers who were dropped from the Mayawati Cabinet in April this year after the serial killings of CMOs. Mr Kushwaha held the family welfare portfolio and owned moral responsibility for the NRHM scam.
Besides, he was also known as one of the most trusted lieutenants of Ms Mayawati and handled all her financial matters.
Mr Kushwaha and Naseemuddin Siddiqui, however, never got along even though they both belong to Banda in Bundelkhand. Mr Kushwaha’s ouster from the cabinet automatically led to an elevation in Mr Siddiqui’s position.
Meanwhile, Babu Singh Kushwaha’s revolt on Saturday is likely to have far-reaching consequences in BSP’s party politics since he was a cadre leader known for his popularity among the party rank and file.