Another 'bandit queen' may jump into politics band

Following in the footsteps of “dacoit-turned-politician” Phoolan Devi, another “bandit queen” has expressed her desire to take a plunge into active politics and has knocked at the door of the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) for granting her membership.

Renu Yadav, who spent seven years in jail after surrendering before the police, said she now wanted to “serve society and improve the lot of the womenfolk.” Renu, a resident of Auraiya district, about 300 km from here, met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and PWD Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav on Saturday and urged them to take her into their fold.

According to SP sources here, the two leaders assured Renu that her application would be “sympathetically considered.”  Renu might be taken into the party at a public function at Auraiya in the “very near future.”

Thirty-five-year old Renu had been abducted by the dreaded dacoit Ramveer Gujjar around nine years ago. “I was with the Rajveer gang for two years,'' she said.

 She did not take part in the gang's activities. Renu surrendered before the police after Rajveer was gunned down in an encounter with the security forces.

“The police had then promised to help me but they did nothing and I had to spend seven years in jail,” she said.

Renu said she wanted to join the SP to be active in politics to serve society.  She might well have been tempted by the fact that the SP had in the past given ticket to Phoolan Devi to contest the Lok Sabha poll.

The dacoit gangs active in the Bundelkhand region, especially in Banda and Chitrakoot districts, have been influencing the electoral politics in the areas and as a result enjoy “political patronage.”