The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit in Jammu and Kashmir has announced its willingness to welcome back former party members ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls, signaling a strategic move to consolidate its base in the region.
BJP J&K Chief Ravinder Raina declared that the party’s doors are open for the return of “old rebels” into the party fold. Responding to queries regarding the potential rejoining of former MP and J&K Minister Choudhary Lal Singh, Raina stated, “It is good, all are welcome in the party. We all must work for 1.4 crore people of Jammu and Kashmir unitedly. Our doors are open for all. All of them are our friends. And we have no ill will against anyone.”
However, Raina declined to comment on whether the party would extend the same welcome to individuals who were previously expelled for their association with the accused in the infamous Rassana rape case.
Choudhary Lal Singh, a seasoned politician, had a history of political affiliations, having won elections on different party tickets over the years. He joined the BJP in 2014 after resigning from the Congress, eventually securing a ministerial berth in the Jammu and Kashmir government. However, he was removed from his ministerial position in 2018 following his involvement in a gathering supporting the accused in the Rassana rape case. In November 2023, the Enforcement Directorate attached a land worth 1.21 crore as part of a money laundering investigation against Choudhary Lal Singh, his wife, and an educational trust run by her. Lal Singh was subsequently arrested by the ED on charges related to the acquisition of the land.
The FIR filed by the ED alleged that Lal Singh and his wife, in collusion with revenue officials, used their influence to forcibly transfer land worth ₹1.21 crore to the educational trust.
