BackJyotiraditya Scindia joins BJP, gets Rajya Sabha nomination
Jyotiraditya Scindia hit out at Congress, saying it’s difficult to remain in that party and work for the public and countryJyotiraditya Scindia’s move is significant as he was a prominent leader of the Congress from Madhya Pradesh
PremiumNEW DELHI : Former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, a day after being expelled from the Congress. Hours after his induction, Scindia was fielded by the BJP as a candidate from Madhya Pradesh for upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
Scindia’s move is significant as he was one of the most prominent leaders of the Congress from Madhya Pradesh and was also close to the Gandhi family. It came as the Madhya Pradesh government led by chief minister Kamal Nath grappled with a revolt by a section of Congress MLAs, threatening its stability.
Scindia hit out at the party, saying it was difficult to remain in the Congress and work for the public and the country. “I am disheartened and deeply sad that serving the people can no longer happen in that organisation. The Congress is no longer the party it used to be...one of the key reasons is that it is unwilling to see what the reality is," Scindia said after joining the BJP. Scindia was inducted by BJP president J.P. Nadda in the presence of Union minister of petroleum and natural gas and steel Dharmendra Pradhan and other senior BJP leaders.
“We are happy to welcome Jyotiraditya Scindia and today we remember . She was part of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS). We are happy to induct her grandson in BJP. He is part of the family," said Nadda.
Scindia’s decision to join the BJP is expected to have an impact on the functioning of the Madhya Pradesh government under Kamal Nath. At least 22 Congress members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) have sent their resignations to speaker N.P. Prajapati.
“Dreams were shattered in the last 18 months since the Congress came to power in Madhya Pradesh. Key promises such as farm loan waiver not delivered. Farmers are annoyed with the state government. Job creation has not happened and corruption has increased," said Scindia.
The budget session of the Assembly is set to be held from 16 March and the government would need the numbers in its favour to get the budget voted through.
The upcoming elections to the Rajya Sabha for three members of parliament (MPs) from Madhya Pradesh would also be crucial given that the numbers are no longer in favour of the Congress.
On Wednesday, nearly 90 MLAs who continue to be with Congress moved to Jaipur to escape what the party calls poaching attempts. The rebel MLAs were at a resort in Bengaluru and a section of BJP MLAs in a resort near Gurugram.
The Congress has maintained that the state government is not under threat. Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Digvijay Singh told news agency PTI that 13 of the 22 rebel MLAs do not want to quit the party and were led away to create pressure on the leadership to nominate Scindia for the Rajya Sabha elections.
“We will prove our majority. We will save the government," Singh said. The sense of elation within the BJP is not just because Scindia has chosen to end his 18-year association with the Congress to join the BJP, but also because it senses a chance to return to power in Madhya Pradesh.
The Congress won 114 seats in the 2018 elections to the 230-member Assembly, with the BJP won 109, and losing power after 15 years.
The Congress formed the government in December 2018 with the support of two MLAs of the Bahujan Samaj Party, one of the Samajwadi Party, and three independent MLAs.
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