NEW DELHI: Former Congress MLA Sumesh Shokeen joined AAP in the presence of its national convener Arvind Kejriwal here on Monday.
Shokeen is a former MLA from Matiala, considered part of the Delhi-Dehat area.
His joining comes a day after the AAP suffered a major blow with its Jat leader Kailash Gahlot resigning from the party.
Welcoming Shokeen into the AAP fold, Kejriwal said his joining will not only give a boost to the party in rural Delhi but also in other parts of the national capital.
Before AAP came to power, people living in Delhi-Dehat were neglected and cut off from the main city, Kejriwal said.
The AAP government improved connectivity, opened schools, hospitals, mohalla clinics and stadiums, and provided other facilities in outer Delhi areas, bringing them at par with other parts of the city, he said.
"Our government has set up numerous sewage treatment plants, provided sewer connectivity, built roads, established outstanding schools, developed playgrounds and constructed large stadiums to meet the long-standing demands of rural Delhi.
"We have also set up Mohalla clinics and hospitals, ensuring equitable development. Shokeen's decision to join AAP underscores the impact of our work, and his addition will further strengthen our mission in rural Delhi," Kejriwal said.
Shokeen lauded the AAP government, saying it improved connectivity to Delhi-Dehat areas and undertook various development work.
Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav said, "The kind of atmosphere we are seeing, these two parties (AAP and BJP) are luring people (leaders) by some way or the other. However, people have understood that these two parties have only made false promises and have not fulfilled even one of them."