Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, who was on Friday re-inducted into Akhilesh Yadav Cabinet, slammed the media for holding him guilty in the DSP Zia-ul-Haq murder case "even before any probe was started".
"The media had held me guilty in DSP murder case before any probe was started. Now that I have been given clean chit by the CBI, they should review their working. I am thankful to SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for having faith in me," Raja Bhaiya told reporters in Lucknow after taking oath as Minister.
"It's unfortunate that media made a bad impression of me before the people without any base...They (media) should maintain restraint in such matters," he said.
The former Food and Civil Supplies Minister had to resign from the Cabinet after being named by DSP Haq's wife Parveen Azad in the murder case earlier this year. Though CBI gave clean chit to Raja Bhaiya, Azad had filed a protest application against it. Raja Bhaiya would be allocated a ministry later.
Asked about which portfolio would be allocated to him, Singh said he would do his duty sincerely irrespective of the department he was given. About the number of criminal cases pending against him, Singh said they were "courtesy BSP government".
When asked whether he was re-inducted as a minister in a "damage control" exercise after Muzaffarnagar riots to manage "Thakur" votes, Singh said "as far as I know, Mulayam Singh's politics is not based on casteism."
On being asked whether he would visit Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas after becoming a Minister, Singh said, "I am a minister of the entire state. I will fulfill all the responsibilities given to me by the Chief Minister." On speculations about him joining BJP, Singh said it was media speculation and "it(media) is free to continue doing so".
When asked about his earlier statement that some persons conspired to include his name in the DSP murder case, Singh said let the name of "conspirators" be a secret. To a question whether it was Congress that conspired against him, Singh said "may be". On his relations with senior Cabinet colleague Mohd Azam Khan, Singh said he never had sour relations with him. "Media makes and breaks relations with anyone on its whims."
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