Rajnath at Apollo Hospital. (PTI)

New Delhi, June 2: For the beleagured BJP, Rahul Mahajan’s late-night revelry and alleged drug abuse was the second blow in less than a month.

Rahul’s father Pramod Mahajan’s murder by brother Praveen had sunk the party’s morale to an all-time low.

Not only did the party lose one of its most promising leaders, it had to deal with sordid details of Pramod’s personal life being laid out for public viewing by television channels. There were speculations that dirty money and women had a hand in the stunning attack on the leader.

The BJP had barely recovered from the shock when news trickled in about the horrible outcome of a late-night party at Pramod Mahajan’s 7, Safdarjung Road house.

A fresh scandal loomed large with television channels blaring news of narcotics and alcohol abuse that apparently killed Pramod’s secretary Bibek Moitra and left Rahul battling for life.

Barring BJP president Rajnath Singh, few top-rung leaders visited Rahul in hospital today. Only Harsh Vardhan, Arif Mohammad Khan, Shahnawaz Hussain and Vinay Katiyar called on him.

In Mumbai, too, few BJP leaders apart from city unit chief Nitin Gadkari visited Rahul’s mother, who was staying with daughter Poonam in Worli.

“Doctors say they are doing their best,” Rajnath said. “I wish Rahul a speedy recovery.”

Rahul’s personal physician was apparently advised to tell the media that he was “on anti-depressants”, a possible attempt to divert attention from the damning reports.

This is particularly distressing for Rajnath as he had recently rolled out the red carpet for Rahul at the BJP’s national executive meeting.

Rahul, too, seemed to be nursing political ambitions and there was talk of him being fielded as the BJP candidate in the byelection in Vidisha.

Not only has today’s incident cast a dark shadow on Rahul’s political prospects, it threatens to batter the image of the BJP, which parades its puritanical beliefs with pride.

Ironically, today Rahul was supposed to play the good son by going to Guwahati and immersing his father’s ashes in the Brahmaputra. Rahul decided to stop by in the capital before heading to Assam.

Some party leaders couldn’t hide their disappointment. “I had advised these people not to indulge Rahul too much. Thankfully, he had not been officially inducted into the party,” said a leader who was close to Pramod.