Expelled BSP founder member joins Congress

Singh said Babu recently met Congress president Sonia Gandhi,who approved his admission in the party. He added that old loyalists of the BSP were being sidelined due to the opportunistic politics and policies of Chief Minister Mayawati.

The 59-year-old leader,who was once close to the BSP founder Kanshi Ram,was expelled from the party in July this year. Today in a stinging criticism of Mayawati,he said: “The BSP has now become a supermarket in which criminals are given preference.”

“I am joining Congress,as I have full faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi,Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh,” he added.

He accused the BSP of diverting from the path shown by B R Ambedkar and added that he was joining the Congress to fulfill the aspirations of the founding father of the Indian constitution.

Babu’s latest move,however,didn’t come as surprise to many,as the Congress was keen to induct him after his expulsion from the BSP.

A native of Azamgarh district,Babu is pegged to become the Dalit face of the Congress in the eastern part of the state. His association with the BSP founder Kanshi Ram began after he joined the BAMCEF. He was made a Rajya Sabha member by BSP president Mayawati and was given the task to expand the BSP’s base in different states,including Madhya Pradesh.

He was later accused of being involved in anti-party activities and was subsequently expelled.