New Delhi: Former Congress Secretary Tom Vadakkan, one of the national spokespersons of the party and once the national media coordinator, on Thursday joined the BJP in the presence of Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
In a jolt to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, her Trinamul Congress MLA Arjun Singh also joined the BJP. He had fallen out with Mamata for denial of Lok Sabha ticket which she gave to sitting MP Dinesh Trivedi. Once Vadakkan used to be close to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi but found himself isolated after Rahul Gandhi started calling the shots.
Though he continued to be the Congress voice on the TV channels, Vadakkan was sulking on the sidelines for securing no position in the organisation, despite having served the party for over two decades. In his late 50s, he had been trying to use his clout at 10 Janpath to secure a Lok Sabha ticket from Kerala but could not because of the resistance from the state leaders. Finding no room for growth under Rahul’s leadership, he opted to join the BJP.
He told reporters that he believed in Prime Minister Modi’s development narrative, prompting AICC media chief Randeep Singh Surjewala to remind him of his bitter criticism of Modi for over 10 years. You have been Modi critic on TV for too long, something that the people won’t forget. Vadakkan, who also met BJP President Amit Shah, said he was “deeply hurt” as his party had “questioned the integrity of the armed forces.”
