Former state Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who joined the BJP recently, said that since the existence of Congress in UP is under cloud, several senior leaders have started quitting the grand old party of India.
“It is not easy to quit a party after being associated for 24 long years. There has to be strong reason which forced me to quit. The fact is that there is a big question mark on Congress’ existence in UP,” Joshi said while addressing her maiden meeting at state BJP office in lucknow on Wednesday.
She said that there is a corporate culture in Congress now. “The reign of the party has been handed over to a manager and senior leaders with years of political experience work at his whims and fancies,” she alleged.
Dismissing that she had joined the BJP for personal interest, Joshi said “I have not put any pre-condition for joining the BJP. I am impressed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he means what he says. In the last two years, the PM has not uttered a controversial word which shows his understanding of the current national and global scenario,” she said.
Joshi also hailed the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army across Pakistan Occupied Kashmir under the directives of the NDA government. “This has increased India’s military capabilities across the world. People across India are now full of pride that the Indian Army has avenged the Uri attack and taught Pakistan a lesson,” she said.
Talking about UP, the former state Congress chief said that the state has been looted with impunity for the last one decade by different political parties. “One party built statues from public money and pocketed government funds while the other protected criminals and land grabbers,” she said.
“The time has come to rid UP from the Samajwadi Party and the BSP. The BJP is the only alternative in the state. The pace of development will only speed up once the BJP comes to power,” Joshi said.
State BJP president Keshav Prasad Maurya, who welcomed Joshi at the party office, said that with leaders like Rita Bahuguna Joshi joining the BJP, the Congress is now finished in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier Rita Bahuguna Joshi was given a rousing welcome on her arrival in lucknow after joining the BJP. She was received at the airport by state secretary Virendra Tiwari.