On Friday, Singh’s dissenting voice was the loudest from the treasury benches, his contention at once embarrassing for the Congress and appreciative of the Bahujan Samaj Party. He called Congress leader Rahul Gandhi the party’s yuvraj. “Your yuvraj visits the house of a Dalit and sits on his bed, and you can’t stop raving about it for the next few days. But the BSP is trying to make the Dalit sit on his bed,” he told his former colleagues. He praised Chief Minister Mayawati for her generosity towards Bundelkhand — the Rs 1,600 crore rehabilitation package she has announced for the drought-hit region. He said if the Congress was thoughtful of this region, it would have okayed Mayawati’s demand for central assistance of Rs 88,000 crore, which would have been channelised into several helpful schemes for Bundelkhand. However, the Congress did not sit back and watch the show. Senior leader Promod Tiwari defended his party on Bundelkhand, also pointing at Singh’s dubious background.

He said elected members with criminal backgrounds rarely stick to their bases but side with the ruling party at any opportunity they get.

Police records show five cases against Singh, who is popularly known as Lalla Bhaiyya. They are registered at police stations of Lucknow and Gonda for various charges including attempts to murder and murder. Singh was also once brought under the CB-CID net when in 2001 he had shot his driver in a fit of rage at his Gomti Nagar home. The driver later died of his injuries.

Singh’s political history is chequered. This resident of village Bargadikot of Gonda first contested elections as an Independent and won Colonelganj.

He then switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party and held the seat for three terms.