'Congress no more does Janaseva. India is safe in BJP's hands', Scindia joins BJP in JP Nadda's presence

New Delhi, March 11: A day after announcing his resignation from Congress, Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP on Wednesday in the presence of the ruling party's president JP Nadda and BJP's Vinay Sahasrabuddhe. While the BJP is likely to name him as one of its candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh, the party is also confident of forming the government in the state with his help as 22 MLAs including Scindia's supporters have resigned from the state Assembly, further reducing the Kamal Nath government to a minority.

 

"I would like to thank JP Nadda ji, PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah that they invited me to their family and gave me a place in it. I believe in Jana Seva. Congress is not working to serve people now. Congress is busy playing politics and I cannot take it anymore. I want to serve people and I will do it now with the help of BJP", Scindia said.  

 

 

 

BJP's media cell earlier had sent out a message saying an 'eminent personality' would join the party in the presence of its president JP Nadda. Peeved with his marginalisation in the Congress, Scindia met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday and then the two leaders went to the prime minister's residence where they held talks for over an hour.

 

Soon after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the disgruntled Madhya Pradesh Congress leader tendered his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi saying it was time for him to move on. Scindia took the decision to sever his ties with the Congress on the day of his father Madhavrao Scindia's 75th birth anniversary. Scindia, four-time MP, first got elected from Guna in Madhya Pradesh in 2002 after winning a by-election necessitated by his father's demise. He was only 31 years old at that time.

 

He gradually made his way up the Congress ladder becoming Minister of State for Communications and IT in 2007 during the Congress-led UPA-1. In 2009, he became Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and in 2012 was appointed Minister of State for Power during UPA-2. Meanwhile, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot demeaned Scindia's move saying, "Such opportunists should have left the party much earlier. Congress party gave him so much for 18 years. Mauka aane pe maukaparasti dikhai hai. People will teach him a lesson".

 

 

 

"Everyone can see how democracy is being murdered. MLAs are coming to Jaipur, you can see what kind of horse-trading attempts are being made there (in MP). Aisa nanga naach kabhi nahi dekha gaya hai, jo satta mein baithe huye log kar rahe hain. We stand together", he added.

 

Earlier in the month of November 2019, Scindia had left the INC jawstruck, when 20 Congress MLAs of the state close to Scindia had gone missing and unreachable for two complete days. After consistently being sidelined from the internal affairs of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Scindia had also shed off his party name and changed his Twitter bio to a 'public servant and cricket enthusiast', fueling fresh speculations over the political tensions brewing within the party.