Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party Thursday continued to face criticism from various party members and well wishers as well as allies over its decision to induct a former Uttar Pradesh minister, accused in a scam, into the party.

The strongest attack came from mentor organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which urged the people of Uttar Pradesh not to vote for “party-hoppers and tainted people”.

Also critical of the move to induct Babu Singh Kushwaha was MP Yogi Adityanath and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

RSS, in its mouthpiece ‘Panchajanya’, snubbed the BJP for inducting Kushwaha and spokesperson Ram Madhav also said that the BJP should not ignore the issue of tainted candidates.

Yogi Adityanath said that the party may have to face the consequences of the decision.

“The corrupt leaders in Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav’s parties are being taken in the BJP keeping in mind assembly elections. This could prove harmful for the party. Such people should neither be allowed to join the party nor be given ticket to contest elections,” the BJP leader told a TV news channel in Lucknow.

“How can a person, who was corrupt in Mulayam and Mayawati’s party, become clean after joining BJP,” he questioned.

Nitish Kumar said his party was opposed allowing tainted leaders in.

“There are differences within the party (BJP) on how this issue has to be handled, so we have to see what their final decision is. But it is not a good tradition, people will not like it,” he said.

Kushwaha joined BJP Tuesday after he was thrown out of his party on corruption charges. He has allegedly been involved in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in the state and has been named in an FIR on the scam by Central Bureau of Investigation.