Mumbai: The visit to Mumbai by former Congress leader and cabinet minister in the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government Rita Bahuguna-Joshi to Mumbai has ruffled feathers in both parties, thanks to the company she kept on the first day of her visit: tainted Congress leader and former MLA Kripashankar Singh.
BJP leaders claimed they were not informed of Ms. Bahuguna-Joshi’s first visit to the city after BJP government took charge in U.P. under Yogi Adityanath, but a Congress leader knew. The Congress, meanwhile, was furious over Mr. Singh making arrangements for a BJP leader who had launched a fierce attack against vice president Rahul Gandhi after quitting the Congress.
On Sunday, Ms. Bahuguna-Joshi held a press meet at a hotel in Goregaon, where Mr. Singh was also present. Sources said the select press meet, mainly for Hindi media, was facilitated by the Congress leader. If that wasn’t enough to make the BJP fume, Ms. Bahuguna-Joshi attended a programme at a private engineering college in Mira Road with Mr Singh.
The Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation is all set to go to the polls in two months, and the area is home to much of the north Indian population. With the BJP hoping to win the elections, a party minister attending a programme in the company of a tainted Congress leader has not gone down too well.
According to sources in the BJP, north Indian leaders are drafting a complaint letter to the UP Chief Minister. “Had we been informed, we could have celebrated her arrival in city with banners and posters. It was a proud moment for us when BJP won U.P. Instead, Kripashankar Singh was present at the press meet,” said a senior north Indian BJP leader.
Amarjeet Mishra, a north Indian BJP leader, confirmed he was not informed about the Ms. Bahuguna-Joshi’s visit to the city. “I cannot comment on which leader is sending the complaint to Adityanath ji , as we have so many north Indian leaders,” he said.
The Congress, on the other hand, found it ‘infuriating’ that Mr. Singh had accompanied someone who had spoken ill of Rahul Gandhi. “A leader of his [Mr. Singh’s] stature should think twice before accompanying a person who has used objectionable words against our party leader. I think we need to convey these actions to the party high command in Delhi, and we will do it,” Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said.
Neither Mr. Singh nor Ms. Bahuguna-Joshi responded to phone calls from The Hindu , despite repeated attempts.
