Setback to Congress ahead of Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal: Giving a major jolt to Congress just after Rahul Gandhi’s BJNY passed through Madhya Pradesh, former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri, Ex-MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi and several erstwhile party MLAs joined BJP on Saturday in Bhopal.

A total of 12 senior leaders of Congress including former MLAs Sanjay Shukla, Vishal Patel, and Arjun Palia joined the Saffron Party at BJP’s state unit headquarters here in the presence of Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, party’s state president VD Sharma, former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan State Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya and party’s joining committee head Dr Narottam Mishra.

Welcoming Pachouri into the BJP, CM Yadav said that his decision showed that honest leaders were not respected in Congress, it was unfortunate the Congress leadership had not been paying attention to leaders working for the nation.

CM Yadav took a swipe at the grand old party and said, “Once again it is proved that as Rahul is moving forward, Congress is coming clear behind.”

“I entered politics to serve society. The Congress would talk about establishing a caste-less society, but now they are talking about caste. In the last few days, the political and religious decisions taken by the Congress made me uneasy”, Pachouri said.

He also said that he had served in the Defence Ministry, but never raised questions about the Army’s bravery and talked to provide evidence.

He also said that Congress has been alienated from the principles and policies it was known for. Pachouri, who was considered close to the Gandhi family, was a Union Minister and also served as a four-term Rajya Sabha MP from the Congress.

He has been the president of senior Congress and Youth wing state unit and national general secretary.

Rajukhedi, a prominent tribal leader, was elected as an MP from the Dhar seat reserved for Scheduled Caste on Congress ticket three times in 1998, 1999, and 2009.