Lucknow:
The family of tainted former Uttar Pradesh minister, Babu Singh Kushwaha, joined the Samajwadi Party today. His wife Shivkanya and brother Shisharan were formally inducted in the party at a function held in Lucknow.
Babu Singh Kushwaha, the former Uttar Pradesh health minister, is the main accused in the multi-crore National Rural Health Mission scam. The scam relates to the alleged swindling of over Rs. 10,000 crore central funds allocated to the state under the mission.
Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was supposed to be preside over the ceremony. However, despite being present in the party office, the party supremo skipped the press conference, fuelling speculation that he didn't want to be publically seen with the Kushwaha's.
Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary faced a barrage of questions about whether this points towards the possibility of Babu Singh Kushwaha is joining the party.
However, speculations are rife if this move will yield any significant political gain as most feel that Kushwaha is a spent force since the BJP failed to tap into the vote of the backward kurmi's in the Bundelkhand region during the 2012 Assembly elections.
This development comes at a time when Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is touring America, also raising doubts whether this controversial decision to induct the Kushwahas has his sanction.
Babu Singh Kushwaha is lodged at the Dasna Jail in Ghaziabad and his trial in the scam is being conducted at a CBI Court.