'Action against BS Kushwaha followed his entry into BJP'

Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde today stressed that the CBI acted against Babu Singh Kushwaha, former cabinet minister in the Mayawati government, only after he was inducted into BJP.

While former BJP chief, Venkaiah Naidu, said Kushwaha issue was now a "closed chapter".

"When we took him into the party, no action had been taken against Kushwaha. CBI acted (by raiding his houses) only afterwards. It is a conspiracy by Mayawati and the Congress," Munde said here.

"BJP is against corruption...We will not spare the corrupt. We have put the corrupt leaders in their place and set an example in Karnataka," Munde added.

Naidu and Munde were talking to reporters before the meeting of BJP MLAs and MPs, where preparations for the forthcoming Zilla Parishad and municipal elections in Maharashtra would be discussed.

Talking on Kushwaha issue, Naidu, who is BJP's in-charge for Maharashtra, said "that chapter has been closed for BJP now".

Naidu also said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should first focus on corruption within his own party, before targeting BJP.