Kavita case: UP Minister Babulal quits

The RLD leader resigns from UP Govt after reports link him with the slain lecturer, writes Masoodul Hasan.

Following his alleged involvement in the sex scandal, Minister of State (Independent) for Food Processing and Additional Energy Resources Chaudhury Babulal on Tuesday resigned from the Mulayam Singh Yadav ministry.

The minister's name was linked with Kavita Rani, lecturer at Chaudhury Charan Singh University, Meerut, who was murdered on October 24. Rani had allegedly prepared sex CDs of several high profile people to blackmail them.

Two politicians from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) had allegedly landed in her trap.
Even though the Meerut police had given clean chit to the minister on Monday, RLD president Chaudhury Ajit Singh, shaken over the controversy, directed Babulal, MLA from Fatehpur Sikri (Agra), to submit his resignation.

RLD sources said Ajit Singh summoned Babulal to Delhi on Tuesday and sought his resignation. He later forwarded the letter to the chief minister.

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After the police expose on Monday, RLD general secretary Mairajuddin Ahmad had resigned from the party. Without being member of the either House of Vidhan Mandal, Ahmad had been made irrigation minister for six months in March. Earlier, he was chairman of UP Exports Corporation.

Murder accused Ravindra Pradhan told the police that Rani had prepared a bedroom CD of Ahmad and used it to extract Rs 35 lakh from the former general secretary.

Pradhan said he had killed Rani over the dispute over sharing of money. He told the police that he had thrown the body of Rani in a canal in Bulandshahr. However, Pradhan distanced himself from Babulal. The Meerut police also gave clean chit to another minister, Kiran Pal Singh, who is from the Samajwadi Party.

The quick removal of Babulal by the RLD is being seen as a pressure tactic on the SP for the ouster of Kiran Pal Singh. The SP minister is from Bulandshahr.