Lucknow, March 4: Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, former Uttar Pradesh minister and independent legislator from Kunda, Monday pleaded innocence and said he had nothing to do with the "tragic death" of circle officer Zia-ul-Haq.
He said he was ready for any probe, including one by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Raja Bhaiyya had been named in the first information report filed in the murder of the circle officer in mob violence at Pratapgarh village Saturday.
Talking to reporters after attending the state assembly session, a visibly relaxed Raja Bhaiyya said there was no truth in the charges against him and added that the real perpetrators of the Pratapgarh violence and killings would never be apprehended.
"The real culprits will never be caught, because the investigation has been diverted in a different direction," Raja Bhaiyya said.
Saying that he had not been in good health for the past four days and was immensely pained by incidents over the past two days, the independent MLA said he had quit on moral grounds as he never craved for any post or office.
"Holding on to a post was never my idea of politics. I do not want the UP government to be embarrassed because of me," he said, explaining why he quit the Akhilesh Yadav cabinet.
He alleged that there was a "political conspiracy" by some people to see him out of the state government.
