‘Hurt by Congress’ stand on Balakot strike,’ Tom Vadakkan joins the BJP

In a surprise move, senior Congress leader Tom Vadakkan on Thursday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing the Congress of questioning the integrity of armed forces. “If some political party that takes a position against the country, then I do not have an option but to leave that party… This is not right,” he said, citing the Congress's stance on the Balakot air strike against terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Pakistan that followed the Pulwama suicide bombing. “I believe in the Prime Minister's development,” the former Congress spokesperson said, stressing that he was grateful to BJP president Amit Shah “who has trusted me and accepted my membership to the party”.