Newly inducted BJP leader Jitin Prasada on Thursday said quitting Congress was a well-thought decision. His comments came after senior Congress leader and MP Mallikarjun Kharge's said the former Congress leader was not ignored by the party.
"What can I say? He is such a senior leader but I know the situation in UP and the connection between people and Congress. I decided this after thinking everything," Jitin Prasada said.
Earlier today, senior Congress leader and MP Mallikarjun Kharge said he is saddening to see Jitin Prasada leave a party, which he and his father worked for several decades.
Earlier today, Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Jitin Prasada was traditional Congressman, we gave him respect, he wasn't ignored. He was general Secretory, Bengal in charge...was allowed to contest every time. Despite this, if he blames Congress and ideology for which he and his father worked, it's sad."
The saga of defections in the Congress which began ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections continues unabated with 47-year-old former Union minister Jitin Prasada jumping ship on Wednesday, triggering speculation of further exists.
Jitin Prasada joined the BJP in presence of Union minister Piyush Goyal and its chief spokesperson Anil Baluni.
Prasada told reporters after joining the BJP that it was truly the only national party which worked in an institutional way, while others were all about a few people or confined to specific regions. He also hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership of the country and also lauded other senior party leaders. Noting that politics is for public service, Prasada said he realised he cannot do it in the Congress and could not protect people's interests.
Prasada follows in the footsteps of his former Congress colleague Jyotiraditya Scindia who quit the party to join the BJP in March last year. Both the young leaders leave behind a major vacuum in the Congress, having served as ministers in the erstwhile UPA government and having been part of the inner circle of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
Prasada joined the BJP ahead of assembly polls early next year and his decision is being seen as a jolt to the Congress which was trying to revive itself in the crucial state under the guidance of the party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. He was among the young frontline leaders of the Congress, especially in Uttar Pradesh.
(With inputs from Agencies)
