Mayawati wades into row over Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. Congress is her target

Bahujan Samaj Party boss Mayawati on Thursday waded into the row over the probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, saying that it would be better that the Central Bureau of Investigation takes up the probe rather than police officers of Bihar or Maharashtra. She also attacked the Congress for speaking in two voices in Maharashtra and Bihar, accusing the party of using the case to serve its political interests.

Mayawati’s remark came days after the 34-year-old actor’s father KK Singh filed a complaint with Bihar police accusing actor Rhea Chakraborty and six others of abetting the actor’s alleged suicide. A team of Bihar police was also sent to Mumbai.

This line of investigation appeared to be a contrast to the probe by Mumbai police that was seen to be focused at exploring the professional rivalry angle.

Rajput was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in Mumbai suburb Bandra on June 14.

In two tweets, Mayawati referred to the mystery around Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.

“The mystery around the death of a young actor of Bihar origin Sushant Singh Rajput is deepening following new facts emerging every day and his father filing an FIR with Patna police. Now it would be better if the case was investigated by the CBI instead of Maharashtra and Bihar police,” Mayawati said in a tweet.

Rhea Chakraborty has already moved a petition in the Supreme Court to request that the Bihar police probe be transferred to Mumbai police which was already investigating Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.

Maharashtra home minister and Congress leader Anil Deshmukh has rejected demands for a CBI probe into the actor’s death on more than one occasion, insisting that the Mumbai police is doing a fine job.

Congress leaders in Bihar, like most other state politicians, have supported demands for a CBI inquiry.

Mayawati referred to this difference in the stand taken by Congress leaders in Maharashtra and Bihar, asserting that this implied that their real objective was not to get justice for Sushant Singh Rajput’s family but use it to serve their political interests. “This is not appropriate. Maharashtra government should get serious (about the case),” she said.

Mayawati’s pointed attack that aimed at Congress leaders comes against the backdrop of worsening ties between the two opposition parties that had, ahead of the 2019 elections, considered having some kind of an agreement. The BSP had an alliance with Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party for the general election but it collapsed after the elections.

Mayawati has been particularly upset with the Congress last year after the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan lured the BSP’s 6 lawmakers in the state to join the Congress rather than support the state government from outside.