Industrialist and former Congress leader Naveen Jindal joined the ruling BJP on Sunday, weeks before the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP, which released its fifth list for the polls today, said Mr Jindal will contest from Kurukshetra, the constituency he represented from 2004-14.
Mr Jindal, Chairman of Jindal Steel and Power, said he wants to contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda of ‘Viksit Bharat’.
“I represented Congress Party in Parliament as MP from Kurukshetra for 10 years. I thank the Congress leadership and the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Today I am resigning from the primary membership of the Congress Party,” Mr Jindal posted on X minutes before he pulled a big switcheroo.
The industrialist joined the BJP in the presence of its general secretary Vinod Tawde, who said Mr Jindal’s presence in the party will help the government’s agenda of boosting the country’s economy and prosperity.
The Congress was quick to criticise its former leader, attributing motives to the industrialist’s BJP move.
“When you need a giant-size washing machine, this had to happen. And after making ZERO contributions to the party in the last ten years, saying I am resigning from it is a big joke,” tweeted Congress’ Jairam Ramesh.
When you need a giant-size washing machine, this had to happen. And after making ZERO contributions to the party in the last ten years, saying I am resigning from it is a big joke.https://t.co/yjNO1cl1MEpic.twitter.com/1E9R0mIaJC
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 24, 2024
The new joinee was all praises for the Prime Minister, citing the scrapping of Article 370 as a major step, the construction of teh Ram Temple and the progress of the country over the last 10 years.