Did she or didn't she? On Friday morning, the word was out that Uma Bharti, re-inducted into BJP and given the charge of the party's poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh, was withdrawing from the assignment as she was opposed to admitting Babu Singh Kushwaha into the party. By afternoon, her official denial had come -- even as she ensured her message reached the top brass.

Then it was left to BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman to clear the air over Uma Bharati's reported rebellion. Emphasising that there was no question of Uma being upset over the induction of former BSP leader Babu Singh Kushwaha in the party, Sitharaman told a press conference in the national capital that the party was only taking up the cause of the OBC leaders and BJP took its causes seriously.

Sitharaman said that those who are against the induction never took up the cause of OBC leaders. She also said that there was a pattern in which OBCs have been denied their chance and leadership in Uttar Pradesh.

She alleged that parties like the Congress were opposing the move due to their 'vested interests'. She said that the probe should be allowed to come to a logical conclusion and the law should take its own course.

Pointing to corruption in th Congress party, Sitharaman said that rather than jumping on small things, the Congress should answer questions about allgedly corrupt ministers sitting in the union cabinet.

A few minutes before the press conference held by Sitharaman, a press release was also issued by Uma Bharti in which she denied reports of quitting the party's Uttar Pradesh poll campaign.

Though the party is likely to change her campaign trail in the state, Uma will go ahead with her plans. She has said that she would hold 30 meetings in next four days in the state to make her party stronger.

BJP not apologetic

The BJP refused to be apologetic at all on induction of expelled tainted BSP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, describing him as a big catch to act as a "whistle-blower" to expose corruption of the Mayawati government in the Assembly elections next month.

Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman also denied any rift in the party on his admission in the party early this week and accused the electronic media for the canard that the BJP's prime campaigner Uma Bharti, a former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, has refused to campaign unless Kushwaha is expelled.

The saffron-clad Uma Bharti issued a brief statement to debunk "baseless reports" in the media, asserting that she had not made any such comment to derive any political conclusion. She is very much in the campaign mode and will be addressing 30 election rallies in the next four days of the intensive tour until Sunday and awaits further programme as per the party plan with her consent, she said.

First, senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha and then the spokesperson hailed Kushwaha as a whistle-blower as he was a top confidante of Mayawati and virtually No 2 in her government for past five years to know all her wrongs. The Kushwahas, an OBC community, has 4 per cent votes in Uttar Pradesh, and as high as 10 per cent in Bundelkhand area where the party would utilise him for campaigning.

"He was a part of Mayawati's corrupt government. Now he will bring to light all the wrongs that were being done," said Sinha. At a Press conference at the BJP headquarters, Nirmala said: "Kushwaha has come as a whistleblower to the party and will expose the deeds of UP Chief Minister Mayawati."

Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against him only if he was found guilty in the probe into the health mission scam that has not yet been concluded, she affirmed, adding "yes, he is being probed by the CBI but don't jump to any conclusion that he is corrupt and BJP is giving him shelter. Let the case against him be probed thoroughly and let the court reach a definite conclusion about him.”

Asserting that Kushwaha was admitted in the BJP at the instance of the party high command (read president Nitin Gadkari), she denied that senior leaders like Lal Krishna Advani, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj. "I would like to reiterate that there is no rift, no dissent whatsoever."

While Jaitley rang up Uma Bharti to issue denial of the TV channels' propaganda on her refusal to campaign in protest of Kushwana's induction, the party spokesperson asserted: "There is no question of Uma Bharti ji not campaigning for the party. She is not angry at all."

Notwithstanding the party's denials, the BJP leaders are making comments publicly in chorus against Kushwaha, former union minister Maneka Gandhi from UP becoming the third such leader on Friday. BJP MPs Yogi Adityanath and Kirti Azad openly criticised taking a tainted leader in the party's fold while NDA ally Janata Dal(U) accused the BJP of weakening the anti-corruption stand by entertaining the corrupt.

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Voices of dissent in BJP over inclusion of Mayawati’s tainted former minister Babu Singh Kushwaha found a crater for eruption when the party’s Uttar Pradesh poll incharge Uma Bharti threatened to withdraw herself from the party’s poll campaign in the state on Friday.  

To compound the embattled party’s problems, its Gorakhpur MP, Yogi Adityanath, who wields considerable influence in eastern UP, has also threatened to quit his parliamentary seat in protest of Kushwaha’s inclusion in the party. Even BJP leader Maneka Gandhi said that it was not right to take in people who were thrown out of other parties. “We are angry with this decision. We have people who are honest and hard-working,” said Gandhi.

The surprise developments come as a shock for the embattled party which has already been smarting ever since CBI raided the controversial minister’s residences and premises in three states a day after he joined BJP.    

Kushwaha’s inclusion turned the tables on the saffron party which hoped to ride the anti-corruption wave which Anna Hazare’s movement had created. The party’s senior leader, LK Advani, had also recently returned from a 40-day rath yatra against corruption.

While in a hurriedly called press conference on Wednesday, the party leadership had questioned the timings of the CBI raids, political pundits questioned the party’s wisdom in letting Kushwaha in instead, that too at a time when Anna and debate on Lokpal bill were the real flavours of the season.

According to reports, Kushwaha joined BJP after getting a green signal from party president Nitin Gadkari himself. There are also reports that the RSS has pulled up Gadkari over the inclusion. However, the BJP chief has desisted from commenting on the issue.

The BJP is finding it difficult to defend Kushwaha’s induction as the CBI is likely to arrest him soon in the multi-crore NRHM scam in Uttar Pradesh. Chief minister Mayawati had first dropped him as health and family welfare minister last year, and threw him out of the party recently as the CBI uncovered his role in the NRHM scam.