Madhya Pradesh: Former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, 11 other Congress leaders join BJP

Former MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi and three former MLAs also switched to the saffron party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Mar 9, 2024 - 15:00

Madhya Pradesh: Former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, 11 other Congress leaders join BJP

Former Union minister Suresh Pachouri along with eleven other Congress leaders joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bhopal on Saturday ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The politicians joined the BJP in the presence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, state BJP President VD Sharma and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Pachouri was the Union Minister of State for Defence in the PV Narasimha Rao government and a Rajya Sabha MP from the Congress for four terms. He had also served as the party’s Madhya Pradesh chief in the late 2000s.

After joining the BJP, Pachouri said that Congress, which used to claim to be a casteless and classless party, was dividing the country on the lines of caste, reported PTI. “Congress is now talking about the caste divide, which has resulted in increasing caste conflict in the country,” he said.

Chouhan said that Pachouri did not put any conditions before joining the BJP, PTI reported.

“Pachouri ji joined the BJP without setting any conditions,” the BJP leader said. “When Pachouri Ji was asked about it, he said Congress has become irrelevant and doesn’t have leadership and policy. He wanted to serve the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.”