New Delhi: Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader R.P.N. Singh Tuesday joined the BJP here. He joined the BJP in presence of Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Anurag Thakur and Jyotiraditya Scindia, deputy Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya, state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh and party national media head Anil Baluni at party headquarters here.
Welcoming Singh in party, Pradhan said, “Election process is on in Uttar Pradesh and BJP has been continuously winning the confidence of Uttar Pradesh for the last eight years. Once again we are goinig with the issues of development, better law and order, welfare schemes to seek people’s support. Singh has joined to make Uttar Pradesh number one state. Many times I told Singh that he is the right man in the wrong party. Today, I welcome him in BJP.”
Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief J.P. Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party leadership for inducting hime in the BJP family.
“I worked hard for 32 years in Congress but it is no longer what it used to be. Many asked me to join the BJP for a long time, but I can only say ‘Der aaye durust aye (better late than never)’. I will work as a ‘Karyakarta’ (worker) towards fulfilling Prime Minister Modi’s dream for nation building,” Singh said.
The former Union minister said that the way the BJP government has worked hard to improve the law and order situation in the state is commendable.
“I will do everything that is assigned to me as a small party worker for the development of Uttar Pradesh and country,” Singh added
Before officially joining the BJP, Singh tweeted, “This is a new beginning for me and I look forward to my contribution to nation building under the visionary leadership & guidance of the Honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi, BJP President Shri @JPNadda ji & Honourable Home Minister @AmitShah ji.”
Earlier in the day, Singh resigned from the primary membership of Congress a day after being named as one of the party’s star campaigners for Uttar Pradesh.
Tweeting his resignation letter, Singh said, “Today, at a time, we are celebrating the formation of our great Republic, I begin a new chapter in my political journey. Jai Hind.”
The former Union Minister of State for Home, Singh has been MLA and MP from the party and also was in-charge of the party in Jharkhand.
The Congress has been facing a major exodus of its leaders in Uttar Pradesh. Recently, three candidates named by the party switched sides to other parties.
Singh will be a high profile exit from the Uttar Pradesh Congress after Jitin Prasada, who quit the party and now is a minister in the Yogi government. Singh is an influential leader in his area, but could not win two consecutive elections on the Congress ticket.
Sources said that he is likely to be fielded on a BJP ticket from the same seat against Samajwadi Party’s Swami Prasad Maurya, who recently left the saffron party.