BJP issues notice to UP MLA whose aide ‘shot’ a man, but that has meant little in past cases

From a spate of notices to UP MLAs this year to MPs like Pragya Thakur, there are many instances of BJP not taking action against errant leaders.

Representational image | ANI

New Delhi: The BJP has asked its UP president Swatantra Dev Singh to send a show cause notice to Ballia MLA Surendra Singh whose aide is accused of murdering a man by shooting him at a panchayat meeting in the presence of officials and police. The MLA has defended the arrested accused, Dhirendra Pratap Singh, saying he acted in self-defence and the administration is conducting a one-sided inquiry.

MLA Singh said such an incident could have happened anywhere; then condemned it, as well as the investigation into it. He said if Dhirendra had not fired in self-defence, many of his family members would have been killed.

BJP president J.P. Nadda called up Swatantra Dev Singh and warned him over the MLA’s behaviour. The UP chief then issued him a warning Monday.

This is, however, not the first time the BJP has issued a show cause notice to an unruly MLA or MP, but in most cases, no further action was action. ThePrint takes a look at a few such cases.

Spate of notices in UP

In April this year, the BJP had issued a show cause notice to Barhaj MLA Suresh Tiwari for telling people not to buy vegetables from Muslim vendors. “Main bol raha hoon openly, koi bhi miyan ke hathon sabzi nahi lega,” he had said.

The remarks drew a lot of flak, and Nadda asked the UP unit to issue the notice. Tiwari responded too, but there was no further action.

The same month, Gopamau MLA, Shyam Prakash, was issued a notice when allegations of corruption in the purchase of medical equipment came to light. He also responded to the BJP’s notice, but that was that.

Also in April, Sitapur MLA Rakesh Rathore was served a show cause notice for a viral video in which he mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his appeal to clap for frontline Covid warriors. Speaking to another BJP leader, he had asked if coronavirus can be sent away by clapping and blowing conch shells. “You are breaking records for foolishness,” he had said. He too was issued a notice, but no further action was initiated.

In August, Gorakhpur MLA Radha Mohan Das Agrawal was sent a notice for criticising the police under his own party’s administration for its “ineffective attitude”. Agrawal had said on social media that the police was losing its effect on law and order, and asked for the removal of the additional chief secretary of the home department, and the director general of police.

In May, Agrawal had hit out at a woman IPS officer who had ordered an anti-liquor protest be stopped, and attacked the government on the issues of road construction and water-logging too, leading to a notice from UP BJP vice-president J.P.S. Rathore. He had said he was with his party inside the assembly, but had a greater responsibility to the people as their representative. Again, no further action was taken.

UP BJP disciplinary action committee chairman Satyadev Singh told ThePrint: “In most cases, the party gives a warning, and after they explain their statements or actions, the party forgives them with a warning. No action is taken…

“The last time action was taken was against Kuldeep Singh Sengar (the MLA later convicted for the Unnao rape and related cases). In the case of (Ballia MLA) Surendra Singh, the state BJP president has sought a reply, after which our committee will deliberate on his case.”

In neighbouring Uttarakhand, in September, the BJP had issued a notice to Lohaghat MLA Puran Singh for raising the issue of corruption in development work while his party is in power in the state. The MLA had said officers indulge in corruption, but even complaints to Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat have yielded nothing. Puran Singh also raised the matter in the Uttarakhand assembly and complained to BJP chief Nadda.

A BJP vice-president, who wished to remain anonymous, said the notices were sent under political compulsions, but after warning and expressions of remorse, the leaders were let go.

“Numbers and arithmetic matter more in politics; in many cases, there is some resentment, which is addressed. But suspension and expulsion happens in only those cases where there is no way out,” the V-P said.

MPs who were in the soup 

Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Bhopal BJP candidate ‘Sadhvi’ Pragya Singh Thakur had openly lauded Nathuram Godse for assassinating Mahatma Gandhi, for which PM Modi had said he wouldn’t forgive her.

Six-time MP and former minister Anantkumar Hegde had said ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and again in February 2020 that the Mahatma Gandhi-led freedom movement was a “drama”. “My blood boils when I read history… such people became ‘Mahatma’,” he had said.

Both were issued notices, and then the matter was never heard of again, despite Hegde’s case even going to the disciplinary action committee.

Hamirpur (Himachal) MP Anurag Thakur and West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma were also spared for making communal comments against Muslims during the Delhi assembly election campaign, even after Election Commission censure. They weren’t even served notices.