Bail And A Berth

Samajwadi Party chief and CM Mulayam Singh Yadav has re-inducted into his cabinet the pota accused mla Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya who is out on bail. Interestingly, this time also Raja Bhaiyya has been given the food and civil supplies portfolio. A hurriedly arranged swearing-in ceremony was held at Raj Bhawan on January 23. The minister’s supporters and family members were present, but none of the Opposition leaders turned up. Raja Bhaiyya had resigned from the cabinet on November 10 after the Supreme Court rejected his bail in a pota case—slapped on him by former CM Mayawati. The Kunda (Pratapgarh) MLA again sought bail in Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh)—where the case had been shifted on the directives of the apex court—and was granted one on December 15.