Priyanka Vadra’s new aide in Uttar Pradesh has criminal antecedents

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New Delhi: Kumar Ashish, who is appointed as one of the three AICC secretaries, for assisting the new general secretary of Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Vadra, was sacked by the Congress in the past for his alleged criminal activities. But just ahead of the 2019 general election, he is back!

Congress president Rahul appointed Kumar Ashish as secretary, says a press release by the party.

Ashish, then a youth Congress leader, was arrested in a police raid in Patna after he was found from the spot of a crime with other accused in a case of question paper leak in 2005. Patna Police raided Krishna Apartment on Boring Canal Road under the SK Puri police station. Ashish was caught red-handed.

Police investigation established that the question papers were leaked from AN College of Patna and brought to the apartment. Ashish, the then vice president of state youth Congress, emerged as one of the brains behind the organised crime of leaking question papers of intermediate exams and then selling it to parents of aspirants at high prices.

Kumar Ashish was booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy). Photos showing him in a handcuff were splashed across vernacular media at the time.

Soon after Ashish’s arrest, Sanjeev Kumar, then vice president of Bihar Pradesh Yuva Congress (BPYC), wrote to the national leadership, demanding his removal from the party. Very soon, he was sacked. Then Congress spokesperson Prem Chand Mishra was quoted to have said that Ashish had accepted his complicity in the crime.

On February 19, Rahul appointed Ashish along with Zubair Khan and Bajirao Khade as the three secretaries who will assist Priyanka Vadra -Robert Vadra in her quest to change the fortunes of the Congress in eastern Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming general election.

Tom Vadakkan said, “I am not aware of the reason. I have to check myself.”

Pramod Tiwari, Congress leader in Uttar Pradesh, did not receive the call. He has been sent a query asking the reason for Ashish’s appointment. As and when he replies, the copy will be updated.

BJP’s reaction

The BJP was quick to react to the situation. Party spokesperson RP Singh told, “Corruption is the qualifying factor in Congress. Only their allegiance to the so called Gandhi family matters. I am frankly not surprised at this.”