Five Congress leaders, including former union minister Suresh Pachouri and former MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi, left the party on Saturday and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), dealing a serious blow to the INDIA bloc in Madhya Pradesh. Leaders of the grand old party, including former MLAs Sanjay Shukla, Arjun Paliya, and Vishal Patel, joined the ruling coalition.
“Five Former Congress Leaders Join BJP in Madhya Pradesh Amid Criticism”
At the state BJP headquarters, the five former Congress leaders joined the party alongside state BJP president V D Sharma, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav, and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Former Gandhi family friend Pachouri claims that the Congress has “alienated itself from its principles and policies.”
Speaking to the media, he said, “It has alienated itself from the public and is unable to establish a relationship.”
#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh | Senior Congress leaders Suresh Pachouri and Sanjay Shukla arrive at the BJP office in Bhopal. They will join the party shortly. pic.twitter.com/84nNk8z1lB
— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2024
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“Pachouri, Former Congress Stalwart, Joins BJP: A Shift in Madhya Pradesh Politics”
Remarkably, Pachouri was a four-time member of the ancient party’s Rajya Sabha. He has previously held a number of important roles in the Congress, such as president of the Madhya Pradesh unit and state unit president of the Youth Congress.
State BJP chief VD Sharma welcomed the former union minister to the ruling party, saying: “Someone who does clean politics, who is considered a ‘saint’ in the politics of Madhya Pradesh has joined the BJP today. He has expressed confidence in them (party leaders). He has said that he wants to work for the country, without any conditions…He said that those who questioned the Army, who declined the invitation to the (Pran Pratishtha of) Ram Temple need to be given a reply to…I welcome him to the party.”
