A day ahead of switching loyalty to the BJP, Congress legislator Kuldeep Bishnoi on Wednesday resigned from the Haryana Assembly. He submitted his resignation to Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, who has accepted it. This necessitates a bypoll for the Adampur seat in Hisar district, which Bishnoi currently represents.
"I am joining BJP as an ordinary worker and I hope that all my supporters, be they from Haryana, Rajasthan or parts of Punjab, will be given full respect," said Bishnoi, who also quit the Congress formally "taking into account his own feelings and those of supporters".
He further said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the best prime ministers. In Haryana, I am impressed with the working style of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and the way he is committed to take Haryana to new heights."
Bishnoi, who was expelled by the Congress from all party positions for cross-voting in the June Rajya Sabha polls said, "I feel the Congress is no longer what it used to be during Indiraji and Rajiv Gandhiji's time. The Congress has deviated from its ideology. It has been reduced to a party of 'chatukars' (sycophants). Many of those who are running the party are those who either have not fought elections or haven't won for decades," Bishnoi said.
The four-time MLA and two-time MP had been sulking ever since the party ignored him for the post of its Haryana unit chief during a revamp earlier this year.
When told that Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan has said Bishnoi is joining the BJP because he was under the Enforcement Directorate scanner, Bishnoi said, "So far, I have not got any notice from the ED, nor have they ever summoned me." "Three years ago, there were some searches by the Income Tax Department and all cases are nearly settled," Bishnoi said, adding he has always done politics of honesty and principles.
"My image has been clean and will remain so in future also," said Bishnoi, who was accompanied by his wife Renuka, a former legislator, while submitting his resignation to the Speaker at the Vidhan Sabha Bhawan. Around six years ago, Bishnoi returned to the Congress fold. However, despite his return to the Congress, Bishnoi and Hooda never had warm relations.
Kuldeep wants his son Bhavya to contest
Kuldeep's son Bhavya Bishnoi, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Hisar, has also quit the Congress. Immediately after his resignation, Kuldeep challenged Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda to contest from Adampur.
Kuldeep said that BJP, which he will join in Delhi in presence of the Haryana chief minister, will decide who will contest the bypoll from Adampur but he and people want that his son Bhavya Bishnoi contest from there. He, however, said they will accept the party's decision.
Reacting to Bishnoi's challenge, Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan said, "The man who lives abroad for six months and remains inaccessible is talking of throwing a challenge."