Dayashankar Singh back in BJP after wife wins UP assembly poll

LUCKNOW: The BJP on Monday revoked the expulsion of its former Uttar Pradesh unit vice-president Dayashankar Singh, who was sacked after he made controversial remarks against BSP supremo Mayawati in July last year.

The first decision taken by the party after its massive victory in UP was to reinstate Singh, whose wife Swati won the Sarojini Nagar seat in Lucknow. Singh had alleged that Mayawati takes money for giving tickets to her candidates and hence is a “prostitute”.

The remarks had caused an uproar, leading the BJP to first remove him from the post of state vice-president and then expel him from the party. Singh, a Thakur leader from Ballia, even faced an arrest warrant for his controversial statement. Swati Singh had then risen to prominence defending her husband.

She was made the UP BJP Mahila Morcha chief and then given a ticket from Sarojini Nagar. She defeated Anurag Yadav, brother of SP MP Dharmendra Yadav.

Mayawati’s BSP has been reduced from 80 seats in 2012 to 19 in 2017. BJP has given a strong message by reinstating Singh. Since the controversy broke in July last year, BJP leaders had privately backed Singh though they did not support his choice of words.