Former BSP MLA Jitendra Singh Babloo, who had joined the BJP on August 4, has been expelled from the party following a complaint by Allahabad MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi.
Babloo is an accused in the incident of setting fire to Joshi’s house in 2009. Though a probe had found him guilty, the case, in which seven officers are also accused, is still underway in court.
Soon after Babloo's induction into the BJP, Joshi had said that she was ‘stunned’ at the party’s decision and she was sure that party state president Swatantra Dev Singh might not have been aware of the former MLA's criminal background.
“I urge the state and national presidents (of the BJP) to end his membership because serious allegations are levelled against him,” she had said.
Babloo, however, had said that he was framed in the case and that he was not even in Lucknow when the incident took place. “I demand a CB-CID inquiry,” he had said after joining the saffron party in the presence of Swatantra Dev Singh.
Joshi was in the Congress when the incident of arson took place following some remarks she had made which were deemed to be derogatory to BSP chief Mayawati. A probe that concluded in 2011 brought to light the name of Babloo, who was then the BSP MLA from Bikapur, among the accused.
Joshi had been arrested for her remarks and was in a 14-day judicial custody in Moradabad when the incident took place.
In her defence, Joshi had said that she had not said anything derogatory about Mayawati but had just pointed out that it was ironical that she handed out a compensation of Rs 25,000 to every dalit rape victim when her helicopter rides to hand over that amount cost much more than that.