NEW DELHI: Claiming that the remark of “khoon ki dalali (trade of blood)” by a leader (Rahul Gandhi) after the surgical strike and giving the party to Prashant Kishore on contract saddened her, the former Uttar Pradesh chief of the Congress Rita Bahuguna Joshi on Thursday joined the BJP. Launching a scathing attack on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Bahuguna claimed that many leaders within the party are miffed at his style of functioning.
Joshi said that she resigned from the membership of the Congress, besides mailing her resignation from the legislative Assembly to the Speaker.
“Out of my 27 years long political career, I had been in the Congress for 24 years, besides a brief stint with the Samajwadi Party. The khoon ki dalali remark gave me a lot pain. The political leaders were giving opportunities to the enemy country to raise doubts over the successful surgical strike,” said Joshi (67), who was inducted into the BJP in the presence of the party chief Amit Shah. She added that the decision to quit the Congress was not easy, but she took it in the interest of the nation and the state.
Joshi claimed that the nation is not willing to accept Rahul Gandhi's leadership. “Congress chief Sonia Gandhi understands leadership and interacts with different people. But Rahul Gandhi is not taken seriously,” Joshi said.
She came down heavily on the style of functioning of strategist Prashant Kishore. “Kishore can be a poll manager, but he cannot be a director (of the Congress). He decides what the Congress leaders should speak and where they should go. The party has been handed over to him on a contract. A large number of Congress leaders in UP are disillusioned and are looking for opportunities to leave the party,” said Joshi.
She lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving a befitting reply to the sponsors of terrorism. She added that there is no alternative to Modi in the country.
Her brother Vijay Bahuguna, who was chief minister of Uttarakhand, has already joined the BJP. Incidentally,Joshi had been miffed with the Congress leadership after Raj Babbar was appointed the party unit chief in UP, besides Sheila Dikshit projected as the chief ministerial candidate.