Lucknow: Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi has a tough task on his hands in Uttar Pradesh.
Mr Modi, who had promised to keep criminals out of the Lok Sabha, will now find that the maximum criminals from Uttar Pradesh belong to his own party. The BJP’s sweeping victory in the state may have kept other criminals out but those within the BJP have managed to win on the Modi wave.
For instance, Sachchidanand Sakshi Maharaj, who won the Unnao seat, is facing a number of criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder, provoking communal disharmony, robbery, dacoity etc. He shot to headlines last year in the murder of his own acolyte Sujata Varma and had earlier been accused of raping one Durga Bharti who stayed in his ashram.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been elected from Kaiserganj facing charges related to attempt to murder, causing communal disharmony and robbery and dacoity. He was also an accused in case related to giving shelter to members of the Dawood Ibrahim gang.
Rama Shankar Katheria, the BJP MP from Agra, has the highest number of criminal cases against him. He is facing 21 cases.
“We will see if Mr Modi has the courage to initiate action against his own MPs. He has made tall claims and now the time has come to fulfil those promises,” SP minister Shivpal Yadav said.
