YouTuber Manish Kashyap, Who Faced NSA Charges By Tamil Nadu Government, Joins BJP After Deciding To Contest As Independent

YouTuber Manish Kashyap, who faced National Security Act (NSA) charges imposed by the Tamil Nadu government last year, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday (25 April).

Kashyap was welcomed into the party by BJP MP from North East Delhi Manoj Tiwari who praised him for raising issues of the public and thinking about their welfare.

Kashyap said that he joined the BJP because with the party's help, he could come out of jail and his "bad days ended." He criticised the "Lalu family" for looting and destroying Bihar.

This comes after Kashyap was planning to contest as an independent candidate from West Champaran, his birthplace. He would have challenged incumbent BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal.

However, by taking Kashyap into its fold, the BJP has reduced the challenges of its former state president Jaiswal, who is expecting his fourth consecutive victory from the seat.

Kashyap had contested as an independent in the Chanpatiya Assembly constituency of West Champaran in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections. He ended up a distant third.

He was in jail for around nine months over charges of sharing fake videos of attacks on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. He got bail from Patna High Court in December 2023.

"Patna Court not only granted me bail but also acquitted me. NSA slapped on me was withdrawn. My fight against those who defame Sanatana and those who are against nationalism will continue," he said.

Kashyap is known to be an admirer of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Before the pran prathistha ceremony of Ram Mandir, Kashyap’s video taking on critics of the temple went viral on the Internet.