MP: Senior Congress leaders Suresh Pachouri, Sanjay Shukla join BJP
What's the story
Senior Congress leaders Suresh Pachouri and Sanjay Shukla joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), among others, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, on Saturday ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
BJP leaders Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Kailash Vijayvargiya, and VD Sharma attended the welcoming event.
On the occasion, Chouhan mocked the Congress, claiming the party is "on the verge of extinction," while Sharma stated that there was no room for such "tall leaders" in the grand old party.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Pachouri and Shukla's switch to the BJP will likely impact the Congress's Lok Sabha election preparations in Madhya Pradesh.
Earlier, several political heavyweights left the Congress in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
Last month, Ashok Chavan, a former Maharashtra chief minister, exited the Congress and joined the BJP. Before this, Milind Deora and Baba Siddique had also left the party in the state.
Days later, Congress's lone MP from Jharkhand, Geeta Koda, left the party and joined the BJP.
Reactions
BJP leaders react to Congress defections
Reacting to the Congress leaders' move to switch the sides, Chouhan said, "Rahul Gandhi will breathe only after finishing the Congress completely as suggested by Mahatma Gandhi."
He also mentioned that these leaders viewed Congress as "irrelevant" and desired to join the BJP unconditionally.
Sharma, who is also Madhya Pradesh BJP president, referred to Pachouri and Shukla as "tall leaders of Madhya Pradesh," stating that there was no room for such leaders in Congress.
CM Yadav speaks
CM Mohan Yadav's swipe at congress
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also poked fun at Congress, saying, "Aage aage Rahul jaa raha hai, peechhe peechhe Congress saaf ho rahi hai (Congress is being eliminated while Rahul Gandhi is moving forward)."
Speaking about Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, state minister Vijayvargiya asserted that all Congress leaders and workers believe in Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Other Madhya Pradesh Congress leaders who joined the BJP include former MLAs Arjun Paliya and Vishal Patel, and ex-MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi.
Twitter Post
Pachouri's reason for leaving Congress
#WATCH | Bhopal, MP: On joining the BJP, former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri says, "...Congress has alienated from the principles and policies it has been known for. It has alienated itself from the public and is unable to establish a relationship... pic.twitter.com/vTApJEhgj6
— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2024
About
Background of ex-Congress leaders who joined BJP
Pachouri is a former Union minister who had close ties with the Gandhi family. He held crucial roles in Congress, such as Madhya Pradesh unit president and state unit president of the Youth Congress.
He was a four-time Rajya Sabha member.
Shukla, who is an influential tribal leader, was elected as an MP from Dhar Lok Sabha seat on the Congress ticket for three terms-1998, 1999, and 2009.
Before joining Congress, he was elected as a BJP MLA in 1990.