Gandhi family loyalist RPN Singh on Tuesday joined the long line of senior Congress leaders deserting the party. The former Union Minister on Tuesday embraced the BJP dealing a blow to the Congress and giving a psychological leg-up to the saffron party in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.
Singh, 57, is a prominent leader and a member of royalty from the Eastern UP. He has been a three-time Congress MLA from Padrauna and a Member of Parliament from Kushinagar.
He joined the BJP shortly after writing a brief letter of resignation to the Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Singh’s exit from the party has come as a massive blow to the grand old party in the run-up to Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The Congress leadership was apparently caught by surprise because it named Singh as the “star campaigner’ only a few days ago.
A section of the party leaders feels that Singh’s exit was good riddance because he had been hobnobbing with the BJP for the last one year to topple the Congress-JMM Jharkhand Government. RPN, known within the Congress circle, was Congress general secretary in charge for the Jharkhand for the last three years.
Singh, a key Kurmi OBC leader from eastern UP, is the second big exit for the Congress in the State after Jitin Prasada, who is now a Minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP Government in UP.
Addressing the media after joining the party here at the BJP headquarters in the presence of BJP UP in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, UP party president Swatantra Dev Singh, UP Deputy-Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dr Dinesh Sharma, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, Singh lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi who, he said, is being “appreciated roundly for linking the ancient Indian civilisation and culture with the 21st century”.
Singh is also seen as BJP’s Assembly candidate against OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya who recently left the BJP to join the SP.
Criticising the Congress, his erstwhile party, Singh said, “I spent 32 years in one political party (Congress). But that party has not remained the same as it was before when I joined it. I will work as a ‘karyakarta’ towards fulfilling PM Modi’s dreams for India,” said Singh.
He also praised the double-engine Government and the change in the law and order situation in UP.
“For many years, people had been telling me to join BJP. Today, I can only say ‘better late than never,” he added. Singh, a close loyalist of Rahul Gandhi, is among several leaders like Scindia, Jitin Prasada, Tom Vadakan, and Priyanka Chaturvedi who quit the party to seek greener pastures outside it.
“This is a new beginning for me and I look forward to my contribution to nation-building under the visionary leadership & guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president JP Nadda & Home Minister Amit Shah,” Singh said.
Describing UP as the “heart of India”, Singh said the State has seen massive development over the past seven years. “Everyone can attest to that. UP has benefited from double engine sarkar “ said Singh.
After admitting Singh into the BJP, Pradhan said Singh is the right person in the wrong party.