Lucknow:
The induction of former BSP leader Babu Singh Kushwaha is a headache that refuses to go away for the BJP. Party leader Uma Bharti, while campaigning in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, indicated that she plans a break - in the middle of the make or break UP polls. The whispers are that she is still sulking over Kushwaha's entry. The official line, however, is that Ms Bharti is unwell.
"Umaji has been campaigning for long, and will continue to do so. There are health issue, and we will talk about them," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Ms Bharti is crucial for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. She is a Hindutva mascot, backward leader and a key campaigner. This also indicates that the BJP's troubles over Kushwaha - who is facing heat in the National Rural Health Mission scam - continue despite his letter to party president Nitin Gadkari on Saturday asking his entry into the BJP to be put on hold. While the entire top brass is not on the same page, the opponents are turning Kushwaha into a campaign issue.
"Mr Kushwaha was among the most corrupt leaders. And when the BSP finally threw him out of the party, the BJP welcomed him with open arms. Just a few days ago, Mr LK Advani went on a nationwide rath yatra against corruption. But who did they induct into their party just now? Kushwaha," Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said during a rally in Gorakhpur.
A desperate BJP is forced to dump Kushwaha and engage the opponents on old favourite issues.
"What kind of language Rahul Gandhi is using by talking about selling Ram who is our God? We all worship him. From this, one understands how much he knows about India's heritage," said Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad.
"The same party that sold you Lord Ram's name for votes was bought by Kushwaha," Mr Gandhi had said in Gorakhpur.
Even as Delhi's top two parties slug it out, the BSP which sacked Kushwaha just in time before the announcement of poll dates, added fuel to the fire by charging that the Congress was wooing Kushwaha before the BJP snapped a deal.
Experts believe that Uttar Pradesh elections will be won this time by the party with a cleaner image, a party that does not promote corrupt politicians. But due to the Kushwaha incident, the BJP seems to have gone onto the backfoot.
"Umaji has been campaigning for long, and will continue to do so. There are health issue, and we will talk about them," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Ms Bharti is crucial for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. She is a Hindutva mascot, backward leader and a key campaigner. This also indicates that the BJP's troubles over Kushwaha - who is facing heat in the National Rural Health Mission scam - continue despite his letter to party president Nitin Gadkari on Saturday asking his entry into the BJP to be put on hold. While the entire top brass is not on the same page, the opponents are turning Kushwaha into a campaign issue.
"Mr Kushwaha was among the most corrupt leaders. And when the BSP finally threw him out of the party, the BJP welcomed him with open arms. Just a few days ago, Mr LK Advani went on a nationwide rath yatra against corruption. But who did they induct into their party just now? Kushwaha," Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said during a rally in Gorakhpur.
A desperate BJP is forced to dump Kushwaha and engage the opponents on old favourite issues.
"What kind of language Rahul Gandhi is using by talking about selling Ram who is our God? We all worship him. From this, one understands how much he knows about India's heritage," said Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad.
"The same party that sold you Lord Ram's name for votes was bought by Kushwaha," Mr Gandhi had said in Gorakhpur.
Even as Delhi's top two parties slug it out, the BSP which sacked Kushwaha just in time before the announcement of poll dates, added fuel to the fire by charging that the Congress was wooing Kushwaha before the BJP snapped a deal.
Experts believe that Uttar Pradesh elections will be won this time by the party with a cleaner image, a party that does not promote corrupt politicians. But due to the Kushwaha incident, the BJP seems to have gone onto the backfoot.
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