Is this his statement or view? Is the "associate" part of his government? Maybe a "firebrand Hindu priest" follows the Rajya Dharma! A proper citation would have helped...
Yes, I agree with your observation in part and full :) And probably it may be a net positive considering that UP was ruled by two family-owned extremely corrupt political parties...
Rest of the question, I couldn't find the answer in the earlier BBC link though.
I abhor these thoughts and don't justify the association though.