Gwalior: Congress bought Babulal Chaurasia, says Hindu Mahasabha vice president

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): A day after "Godse supporter" Babulal Chaurasia joined the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Jaiveer Bhardwaj, National Vice-President, Hindu Mahasabha on Thursday alleged that the Congress has bought Chaurasia as it is on the verge of falling apart.

Congress on Wednesday welcomed Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha leader Babulal Chaurasia into the fold in presence of former state chief minister Kamal Nath in Gwalior, ahead of the Madhya Pradesh civic body elections. Speaking to ANI, Bhardwaj said that Hindu Mahasabha had issued a show-cause notice to Chaurasia and later expelled him.

Congress is on verge of falling apart. Hence, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nathji is hiring people from Hindu Mahasabha because none of their workers are left. He (Babulal Chaurasia) had taken oath to stay as a life-long member of the organisation. It's on stamp paper. Congress bought him," he said.

"I challenge Nath to a debate. I can prove Congress has bought him. 15 days ago we had given him a show-cause notice and we expelled him," he added. Lalji Sharma, Hindu Mahasabha leader, said only Congress party or Chaurasia can tell about the "deal for which he became the member of the party." "We can only say that he came to the Hindu Mahasabha himself. He was proud of the Hindu Mahasabha and promised to never leave the organisation. But now, he has joined Congress," he said.

Babulal Chaurasia, who attended an event for the installation of an idol of Nathuram Godse in Gwalior in 2017, joined Congress in presence of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday.

"Hindu Mahasabha conspired against me to make me part of that event. I was at the event and they asked me to offer my prayers to all the pictures of great personalities around the hall. Then somebody gestured towards the Godse idol and without realising, I offered water to it. I was framed. They wanted to show that a former Congress member was supporting Godse. I lodged a strong protest after I realised what happened," said the former Hindu Mahasabha leader.

He said he had been keeping himself away from Hindu Mahasabha's programmes since the event, as his "consciousness did not allow" him to cater to the party's ideology. Congress has been a vocal critic of the Hindu Mahasabha, which had time and again tried to project Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse as a "nationalist" and "patriotic" figure.