Congress leader and former Union minister RPN Singh, 57, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, explaining his decision to switch sides as being prompted by the work Prime Minister Narendra Modi was doing for the country, and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for the state, and as “better late than never”.
He resigned from the primary membership of the Congress on Tuesday and sent a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “This is a new beginning for me and I look forward to my contribution to nation building under the visionary leadership and guidance of PM Narendra Modi, BJP President JP Nadda, and home minister Amit Shah,” he said soon after on Twitter
Singh, the former MP from Padrauna, in Uttar Pradesh, is from the Sainthwar royal family that ruled the region once, although he lost the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He is from the Kurmi community, and considered a strong other backward classes (OBC) leader, and it is believed the BJP may use him to counter some of its OBC leaders who recently shifted to the Samajwadi Party. His induction into the BJP comes weeks ahead of the elections in Uttar Pradesh. In the 2009 Lok Sabha election, he defeated Swami Prasad Maurya, then of the BSP; Maurya subsequently moved to the BJP and is one of the OBC leaders who recently quit the party.
Interestingly, Singh’s move comes a day after he was named as a star campaigner by the party for the assembly elections beginning next month. He is among several other Congress leaders who have shifted loyalties to the BJP in recent months. Between 2004 and 2014, he was considered part of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s inner circle, and widely seen as a next-generation leader of the party along with Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, and Jitin Prasada. Scindia joined the BJP in 2020, and Prasada, last year.
{{/usCountry}}Interestingly, Singh’s move comes a day after he was named as a star campaigner by the party for the assembly elections beginning next month. He is among several other Congress leaders who have shifted loyalties to the BJP in recent months. Between 2004 and 2014, he was considered part of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s inner circle, and widely seen as a next-generation leader of the party along with Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, and Jitin Prasada. Scindia joined the BJP in 2020, and Prasada, last year.
{{/usCountry}}On Tuesday, along with Singh, Shashi Walia and Rajendra Awana also joined the BJP.
Addressing the media, Singh said that the party that he worked for with dedication and honesty for 32 years is not the same anymore.
“It is not the same party where I began and it is not the same ideology...,” he said, without naming the Congress, and added that he is ready to work as an ordinary party worker with PM Narendra Modi.
“The whole country appreciates the work that has been done by our PM, bringing the (glory of India’s) old civilisation together with the 21st century...”
He also commented that for years people had been asking him to join the BJP. “I can say der aaye durust aaye (better late than never).”
Singh, also praised the Modi and Yogi governments for bringing a change in the state’s law and order.
Earlier, while welcoming Singh into the party fold, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is also the BJP’s person in charge of the UP election said he was keen the former Congressman join the BJP. Scindia, now the Union minister of aviation was also present at the event.
The Congress reacted sharply to Singh’s defection.
“This battle (against the central government) can only be fought with courage and bravery. Because, this battle is against a repressive government, its arrogance, its agencies, capitalism and all types of allegations…,” said Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate. Taking a dig at Singh, she said, “Only a coward can jump to a party with a completely opposite ideology.”
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra also slammed Singh over his resignation on Twitter. Without naming him, she tweeted: “ Heavyweight or Deadweight? Those who have not won a seat in over a decade moving to BJP on election eve.”