Look East Policy? 'Corrupt' Opposition Politicians Become BJP CMs Under Modi
New Delhi: Prime minister Narendra Modi’s high-pitched slogan of "Na khaunga, na khane dunga (I will neither be corrupt nor let others be corrupt)" now lies deeply buried in the east, after the very men the Bharatiya Janata Party once branded as the "faces of loot" – from the Narada tapes to the Louis Berger scandal – are now the crown jewels of his party’s roster of chief ministers. The BJP appears not to want to end corruption under Modi, but to own it.
After rewarding Himanta Biswa Sarma with a regional empire in Assam and installing Suvendu Adhikari as the chief minister of West Bengal, Modi has officially proven that his was never a war on graft but under him all that the BJP has run is a high-stakes laundering operation where high-profile corruption cases are the ultimate recruitment brochure for the chief minister's bungalow in the Modi regime.
As Suvendu Adhikari took the oath of office, the ghosts of the 2016 Narada sting operation, where he was caught on camera accepting cash, were nowhere to be found on the BJP social media handles. Modi, who thundered against the "extortionist TMC culture," stood by as the man he once called a suspect was anointed as Bengal’s saviour.
BJP deleted this post just 5 min before Suvendu Adhikari took oath as Bengal BJP CM 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/NzKNd8mups
— Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRaii) May 9, 2026
The four “I”s pattern under Modi is now a standard operating procedure.
First, identify: Label an opposition leader as the kingpin of a multi-crore scam.
Next, investigate: Use central agencies to create legal pressure.
Then, induct: Welcome them into the BJP with a saffron scarf.
Finally, inaugurate: Reward the defection with a chief ministership or a cabinet berth.
In over 190 Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases against political leaders in the last 10 years, only two have resulted in conviction, the Union government told the parliament in March 2025. The Indian Express and Scroll investigated and concluded that over 90% of persons pursued by ED, were from opposition parties. The Wire reported on the quickening pace of central agency actions on political opponents in election season.
Assam’s chief minister and ex-Congressman Himanta Biswa Sarma is the earliest. Before his 2015 arrival in the BJP, the party’s own "Watergate" booklet detailed his alleged role in the Louis Berger bribery scandal. Today, those documents are relics of a forgotten era. Sarma is not just the chief minister of Assam; he is seen as the BJP’s regional czar. The corruption charges that once dominated BJP campaign posters have been scrubbed clean by the simple act of joining the party. This has earned the BJP the monicker of “washing machine”.
Similarly, in Bihar, Samrat Choudhary, a serial turncoat from the Rashtriya Janata Party and Janata Dal (United), now leads the state as the BJP’s first chief minister. Critics have long pointed to a 1995 murder case and allegations of age misrepresentation, yet for Modi and the BJP, these are now conveniently ignored.
Pema Khandu continues his reign in Arunachal Pradesh after migrating his entire government between three different parties.
Modi’s recent 2026 pitch, "Jo loota wo lautana hoga (what was looted must be returned)," was only a hollow punchline. The only place the "looted money" seems to be returning to is the BJP's own political treasury via newly minted chief ministers.
By filling its top ranks with individuals it once called "looters", the BJP has signalled that corruption is only a crime when committed in an opposition jersey. In Modi's India, the path to the chief minister's bungalow may no longer require ideological loyalty, a timely defection after charges of corruption suffices.
This article went live on May tenth, two thousand twenty six, at twenty-seven minutes past one in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
