Former Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Retd) joined the BJP on Sunday.
BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde lauded Bhadauria's long service in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and expressed confidence that he will now contribute actively in the political field after playing an active role in the defence forces.
Along with Bhadauria, YSRCP leader and former MP from Tirupati, Varaprasad Rao also joined BJP.
The BJP leader said Bhadauria spent nearly 40 years in the IAF and contributed to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
After joining saffron party, Bhadauria said, ".. I thank the party leadership for giving me this opportunity to contribute to nation-building once again. I served the IAF for more than four decades, but the best time of my service was the last 8 years under the leadership of the BJP government. The tough steps taken by this government to empower and modernise our armed forces and make them self-reliant have not only given rise to a new capability in the forces but also given them a new confidence. The results of the self-reliant move by the government can be seen on the ground... From the point of view of security, the steps being taken by the government are very important and will take India to new heights globally..."
Bhadauria hails from Uttar Pradesh. The BJP is yet to name its candidates from several seats in the state for the Lok Sabha elections.
(With inputs from agencies)