<p>Sacked Uttar Pradesh minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya’s alleged involvement in the murder of a senior cop may have caused serious embarrassment to his government and party. <br /><br /></p>.<p>However, Samajwadi Party leaders do not think his inclusion in the state cabinet, despite having a long criminal past, was a ‘mistake’.<br /><br />“The party had not committed any mistake by including Raja Bhaiya in the cabinet in the first place”, said party’s national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav on Saturday.<br />He said Akhilesh Yadav was the first chief minister in India who sacked a minister and recommended a CBI probe on the demand of the kin of Zia-ul-Haque, the deceased police officer.<br /><br />Inclusion of Raja Bhaiya’s name in the list of ministers after SP came into power last year raised quite a few eyebrows. <br /><br />At that time, Akhilesh Yadav too had defended the inclusion saying the cases against him were ‘politically motivated’ since they were registered during the previous BSP regime. <br /><br />“Cases against Raja Bhaiya were a result of political vendetta,” Akhilesh had then said.<br /><br />The CM had also defended the re-induction of Vinod Singh alias Pandit Singh in a recent cabinet reshuffle. <br /><br />Singh was earlier sacked after he was accused of kidnapping a senior medical officer in Gonda district after the latter had refused to issue appointment letters to candidates nominated by him.<br /><br />Similarly, party leaders had also sprung to the defence of minister of state K C Pandey, who was caught offering a bribe to police for allowing cattle smuggling in a sting operation conducted by a senior cop. The government had instead chosen to shunt out the police official.<br /><br />Incidentally, several ministers in Akhilesh's cabinet have had a criminal past, including one facing rape charges.<br /></p>
<p>Sacked Uttar Pradesh minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya’s alleged involvement in the murder of a senior cop may have caused serious embarrassment to his government and party. <br /><br /></p>.<p>However, Samajwadi Party leaders do not think his inclusion in the state cabinet, despite having a long criminal past, was a ‘mistake’.<br /><br />“The party had not committed any mistake by including Raja Bhaiya in the cabinet in the first place”, said party’s national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav on Saturday.<br />He said Akhilesh Yadav was the first chief minister in India who sacked a minister and recommended a CBI probe on the demand of the kin of Zia-ul-Haque, the deceased police officer.<br /><br />Inclusion of Raja Bhaiya’s name in the list of ministers after SP came into power last year raised quite a few eyebrows. <br /><br />At that time, Akhilesh Yadav too had defended the inclusion saying the cases against him were ‘politically motivated’ since they were registered during the previous BSP regime. <br /><br />“Cases against Raja Bhaiya were a result of political vendetta,” Akhilesh had then said.<br /><br />The CM had also defended the re-induction of Vinod Singh alias Pandit Singh in a recent cabinet reshuffle. <br /><br />Singh was earlier sacked after he was accused of kidnapping a senior medical officer in Gonda district after the latter had refused to issue appointment letters to candidates nominated by him.<br /><br />Similarly, party leaders had also sprung to the defence of minister of state K C Pandey, who was caught offering a bribe to police for allowing cattle smuggling in a sting operation conducted by a senior cop. The government had instead chosen to shunt out the police official.<br /><br />Incidentally, several ministers in Akhilesh's cabinet have had a criminal past, including one facing rape charges.<br /></p>