Sacked cash-for-questions MP is quietly back in BJP

Considered close to Chief Minister Raman Singh,the former MP’s return to the party became possible as senior leaders supported Gandhi’s ‘loyalty’ and appreciated his efforts to campaign for party candidates during the last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Besides,the BJP’s top brass in the state were also of the view that expulsion from the Lok Sabha and the party is punishment in itself for a public servant in a democracy. Therefore,there was no logic in not taking him back,they said.

Gandhi shot to limelight immediately after the state’s maiden Assembly polls in 2003 when he vacated his Dongergaon seat to enable Chief Minister Raman Singh to contest a by-poll to fulfill the requirement of becoming a member of the state legislative Assembly within six months of his assuming the office of chief minister.

Subsequently,the BJP rewarded him with a ticket to contest the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from Rajnandgaon,a constituency which was earlier represented by Raman Singh.

Pradeep Gandhi was among the 11 MPs,belonging to different political parties,who were caught in a television sting operation – titled “Operation Duryodhan” – in December 2005. The BJP initially suspended him from the party after television channels aired a video clip of Gandhi “accepting bribe” of Rs 55,000 for fielding questions in Parliament.

In the same month,a special committee of the Lok Sabha found him guilty of contempt of House and all 11 MPs caught in the sting operation were expelled from Parliament.

BJP lost the subsequent 2007 by-elections from Rajnandgaon and the then ruling BJP blamed “Operation Duryodhan” for the defeat,arguing that all parties — whose MPs were expelled from Parliament — had lost elections in their respective constituencies and that Rajnandgaon was no exception.

Just a few days before the 2008 Assembly polls,state BJP sought to quietly re-induct Pradeep Gandhi into the party fold,making him in-charge of the party’s media cell in the middle of the election campaign. The party,however,backtracked soon after the decision drew media attention and the Opposition Congress sought to raise the “Operation Duryodhan” bogie in the Assembly polls.