Narender Thakur, who rejoined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday says that he is "relieved" after leaving the Congress, as he was "not feeling comfortable" in that party.
Thakur told HT that he had joined the Congress to extend a helping hand to the party to make it a "party of the people". However, after losing the last Lok sabha elections, he was not accommodated by the party in the mainstream of the organisation. Even after the party came into power on December 25, 2012, he hoped to get some important position in the government, but did not.
Thakur alleged that state Congress chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu "always opposed" him and dissolved the Hamirpur block Congress committee led by one of his sympathisers.
He added that Sukhu was planning to remove him from the post of the party's state delegate from the Hamirpur parliamentary seat, but had to postpone the decision due to the Lok Sabha elections.
Regarding the Congress leadership, Thakur said, "The Congress is led well by chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who is supported by Kaul Singh Thakur and Asha Kumari. However, there is a big lobby that doesn't allow the CM to function, and always complains about him to the party's national leadership without any valid reason."
On his rejoining the BJP, Thakur said the party was "like his mother" and he felt happy returning to his mother "to serve her". "In fact, I have been ready to rejoin the BJP for a long time, but had to remain in the Congress as I hoped that wisdom will prevail, but to no avail," he added.
Replying to a question regarding ticket from Sujanpur for him or his sister-in-law, former member of legislative assembly Urmil Thakur, he said, "We are members of one family and whoever gets the ticket will be supported by the other. We will fight the election jointly and no force on earth can divide the family anymore."
{{/usCountry}}Replying to a question regarding ticket from Sujanpur for him or his sister-in-law, former member of legislative assembly Urmil Thakur, he said, "We are members of one family and whoever gets the ticket will be supported by the other. We will fight the election jointly and no force on earth can divide the family anymore."
{{/usCountry}}He refuted the allegations that he was an "opportunist" and claimed that whatever he did was "under pressure from workers". "I contested the elections from the Hamirpur seat as an independent candidate under pressure from workers, and joined the Congress on their urging. My decision to rejoin the BJP was taken at the urging of the workers who admit that they don't feel safe in the Congress," he claimed.