Once Congress’ voice, Gourav Vallabh switches over to BJP
NEW DELHI: A familiar face on TV debates and social media platforms, where he strongly defended the Congress and posed challenges for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Gourav Vallabh on Thursday switched over to the BJP, hours after quitting the grand old party.
He joins the list of Congress spokespersons who have crossed over to the BJP over the past few years and are now seen forcefully defending the government’s position and taking political pot-shots at the Opposition parties, often criticising the Congress and its leadership.
Gourav Vallabh was often harsh at the BJP leaders, cornering them with his sharp wit and data-based jibes. He resigned from the Congress on Thursday morning and the BJP welcomed him into the saffron fold hours later.
Addressing the media soon after, he said he was not happy with the party’s lack of direction. “I can neither raise anti-Sanatan slogans nor abuse wealth creators day in and day out. Therefore, I resign from all posts and primary membership of the party,” he said in his resignation letter to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. While remaining in the Congress, Vallabh had unsuccessfully contested Assembly polls in Jharkhand and Rajasthan.
Some of the well-known faces of the Congress who switched over to the BJP include Jaiveer Shergill, Shehzad Poonawalla and Rita Bahuguna Joshi. Both Shergill and Poonawalla were defenders of the Congress stand on various issues on TV news platforms as media panelists. Both of them quit the Congress and Poonawalla now makes headlines as BJP spokesperson.
Another jolt to the Congress was when Priyanka Chaturvedi switched over to Shiv Sena in 2019. Chaturvedi quit after the party reinstated some leaders she had accused of misbehaviour.
In this backdrop, Vallabh’s exit from the Congress when Lok Sabha elections are barely a fortnight away is a severe jolt to the party. Former Bihar Congress president Anil Sharma, who also slammed the main Opposition party for its alleged anti-Sanatan bias, and RJD leader Upendra Prasad joined the BJP as well in the presence of its national general secretary Vinod Tawde.
At the joining ceremony in the BJP, Vallabh, a teacher by profession, hit out at the Congress over its economic policies. He said it ridicules the policies of reforms, liberalisation and globalisation pursued by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh because of its dislike for Modi whom its leaders abuse all day.
Vallabh said he always pursued issues-based politics and was attracted to Modi’s agenda of “Viksit Bharat”. He said he always wanted the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and could not accept the Congress’ decision to not go to the consecration ceremony.
Anil Sharma alleged that Congress leaders, including its president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, suffer from “communal mindset”.
While one ideology works for the eradication of Sanatan Dharma, the BJP is working to conserve it and also develop India, he said.
Vallabh claimed the Congress is completely cut off from the ground and is unable to understand the aspirations of a new India, due to which the party is neither coming to power nor is able to play the role of a strong opposition.
Referring to the issue of caste census, Vallabh said the party is moving in the wrong direction in this context also.
Meanwhile, a day after being expelled from the Congress, former MP Sanjay Nirupam hit out at the grand old party on Thursday and claimed there is “tremendous arrogance” in the party leadership.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Nirupam further claimed the Congress is now history. There are five power centres in the Congress — the three Gandhi family members, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary K C Venugopal, Nirupam said.
“The Nehruvian secularism which has no place for religion in the society has expired,” he claimed.
Nirupam was expelled from the Congress for six years on complaints of indiscipline and anti-party statements.
Nirupam said his criticism of the Congress for allowing the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) to walk away with a major chunk of seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections cannot be termed as an “anti-party” activity.
The former MP from Mumbai North alleged the action against him was taken at the behest of the Shiv Sena (UBT).
The Congress has now rusted but there is “tremendous arrogance in the party leadership,” Nirupam claimed as he targeted Maharashtra party president Nana Patole and Venugopal.
“India is a religious country. But the Congress termed the ‘pran pratishtha’ of Lord Ram (idol of Ram Lalla at a temple) in Ayodhya as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) event, thereby denying the existence of Lord Ram,” he said.
Nirupam declined to spell out his future course of action, but said he will contest the Lok Sabha poll and win. The former Mumbai Congress chief also claimed there was “ideological confusion” in the party.
