BJP MLA describes Sengar as ‘respected’ days after his expulsion from party
The rape survivors’ family claimed the crash was orchestrated by Sengar and his aides to wipe out witnesses and evidence.
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh openly praised rape-accused lawmaker Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who was expelled by the party following a massive uproar after the Unnao rape survivor and her lawyer were critically injured and two of her aunts were killed in a car-truck collision in Rae Bareli on July 28.
The rape survivors’ family claimed the crash was orchestrated by Sengar and his aides to wipe out witnesses and evidence.
While most BJP leaders have shied away from backing Sengar, who was imported from Samajwadi Party ahead of the 2017 UP assembly polls, Ashish Singh, the BJP lawmaker from Bilgram-Mallanwan in Hardoi, was heard publicly praising “Kuldeep Sengar ji.”
In the video of a function that has surfaced on Facebook, the MLA is heard describing the rape-accused Sengar, who is facing two CBI probes, as ‘adarniya’ meaning respected.
“Brother Kuldeep Singh Sengar is facing bad times and hence isn’t with us today. Our best wishes are with him. He will overcome these bad times,” the BJP MLA said at a meeting in Unnao on Friday.
He also claimed that it’s “samay ka kalchakra” (bad times) that resulted in Sengar courting misfortune even as BJP struggled to defend their lawmaker’s defense of rape accused politician.
“The government has acted in a fair and transparent manner. The family asked for a CBI probe that was recommended in no time. The accused has also been expelled. As regarding people praising him, let’s not forget that charges on him are still being investigated. He isn’t a convict and shouldn’t be treated as one until proven otherwise,” said UP BJP spokesman Harish Srivastava.