Soon after quitting Congress on Thursday, professor Gourav Vallabh who represented the grand old party on TV debates on issues of finance and economy joined the Bharatiya Janata Party at the party’s headquarters in Delhi.
While speaking in the presence of BJP's National General Secretary Vinod Tawde, Vallabh explained why he chose to quit Congress. Below are top three statements of Vallabh that explain his decision to quit the grand old party:
1) The former Congress spokesperson said that he cannot go against wealth creators and abuse them from morning to evening. He further stated that wealth creation is not a crime. “I cannot raise slogans against Sanatana Dharma. I cannot go against the wealth creators of this country. I can't abuse wealth creators from morning to evening. Wealth creation cannot be a crime. Congress just wants to abuse and criticise PM Modi.”
2) Vallabh stated his inability to raise slogans against Sanatana Dharma as one of the reasons to quit Congress. While speaking at BJP’s headquarters in Delhi, he said, “I am hurt that the Congress party did not accept the invitation letter for the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. I cannot raise slogans against Sanatana Dharma.”
3) Vallabh further said that Congress is unable to tackle the current issues of the country effectively and that he wants to achieve PM Modi’s dream of making India develop. “Congress is unable to tackle the current issues effectively…to take India forward should be our ideology and that is why I have joined the BJP. With BJP, I want to take the country forward and achieve the dream of PM Narendra Modi of making India a developed nation,” said Vallabh.
Calling Congress "directionless", Vallabh, in a letter to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge cited reasons such as caste census behind his decision to quit the party, adding that he cannot raise "anti-Sanatan" slogans.
In a post on X, Gaurav wrote, "The directionless path the Congress party is currently taking makes me uncomfortable. I cannot support anti-Sanatan slogans nor can I criticize the country's wealth creators day in and day out. Therefore, I am resigning from all positions and the primary membership of the Congress party."
In his resignation letter addressed to Kharge, Vallabh wrote, "I am feeling emotional. My heart is heavy. There's a lot I wish to express, write, and share. However, my principles forbid me from uttering anything that might cause harm to others. Nevertheless, today, I am presenting my thoughts to you because I firmly believe that concealing the truth is also an offense, and I refuse to be involved in it."
Vallabh's resignation came a day after boxer Vijender Singh left the Congress and joined the BJP.
Vallabh contested the Rajasthan assembly election from Udaipur constituency in 2023. However, he was defeated by the BJP candidate who secured a comfortable win with a margin of over 32,000 votes. Vallabh entered politics in 2019 when he contested from Jharkhand's Jamshedpur East, in which he bagged over 18,000 votes and ended up in third spot behind then-sitting CM Raghubar Das.
