Beleaguered Raja Bhaiya gets saffron support

The BJP on Friday came out in support of former Uttar Pradesh minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, who was sacked following allegations of his involvement in the murder of DSP Zia-ul-Haq .

The move, sources said, is the BJP’s tactic to make a dent into the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) “thakur” vote bank by using the prevailing resentment in the community over the unceremonious removal of the controversial independent legislator.

Workers of saffron outfits like the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Vishwa Hindu Parishad have reportedly held demonstrations in several parts of the state to protest against the “false implication” of Raja Bhaiya in the matter.

BJP Lok Sabha member from Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath openly declared his support for the sacked minister. “The CBI probe is not expected to be impartial....we demand a judicial inquiry into the Pratapgarh violence,” Adityanath said on Friday. He added that he would register his protest if Raja Bhaiya was arrested by the CBI.

During a discussion on the Kunda violence in the Assembly earlier, BJP leader Hukum Singh had also questioned the inclusion of Bhaiya’s name in the FIR lodged in connection with the murder of the DSP.