Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 8 : In another blow to the Congress ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections, CR Kesavan, the great-grandson of India's first Indian Governor-General, C Rajagopalachari joined the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters after his saffron switch, Kesavan said, "I wish to thank the BJP for having inducted me into the world's largest political party, and, that too, on a day when our PM is scheduled to visit Tamil Nadu."
"PM Modi's people-centric policies, corruption-free governance and reform-led inclusive development agenda have transformed India from a fragile economy to the fifth largest economy in the world," he said.
Kesavan resigned from the Congress on February 23, saying that he has not even seen vestiges of the values that made him work for the party with dedication for over two decades.
Kesavan shared his resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Twitter saying he could no longer concur with "what the party symbolises, stands for or seeks to propagate".
His resignation came within a month of the desertion by former Union minister AK Antony's son, l Antony, who parted ways with the party after coming out in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the controversial BBC documentary series.
l Antony joined the BJP on April 6, in the presence of Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and V Muraleedharan. Kerala BJP chief K Surendran and senior party leaders Tarun Chugh and l Baluni were also present on the occasion.
Earlier, on February 23, Kesavan said, "I have not seen any vestiges of the values that made me work for the party with dedication for over two decades. I can no longer, in good conscience, say that I concur with what the party presently symbolises, stands for or seeks to propagate. This is why I had recently declined an orgsational responsibility at the national level and also refrained from participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra."
While saying that it was time for him to tread a new path, Kesavan had said then that he had not spoken to anybody and did not know "what will unfold next".
"It is time for me to chart a new path and, therefore, I resigned from the primary membership of the Congress with immediate effect. I have also submitted to the appropriate authority my resignation as a trustee of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee Charitable Trust. There will be speculations of me going to another party but to set the record straight, I have not spoken to anybody and honestly do not know what will unfold next," Kesavan had said at the time.
The former Congress leader also thanked Sonia Gandhi for the responsibilities assigned to him saying that he forged cherished friendships in the party that will remain.
"I will endeavour in good faith to resolutely serve our country through a political platform. It will be one where I can continue to steadfastly uphold the integrity and ideals of public life, instilled and defended by the founding fathers & mothers of our great nation and my great-grandfather C Rajagopalachari. Jai Hind!," Kesavan had said.
Speaking to earlier, he said, "Any Opposition political party should have a well-defined narrative and message for the people. They should ideally take up people-centric issues. But unfortunately, over a period of time, I felt that the attitude and approach have hardly even been concrete, cogent, coherent or even consistent. Many-a-time, it has been very reactionary, cynical and unfortunate."
"I have been a member of the Congress party for the last 22 years, but unfortunately over a period of time, I feel in INC, the attitude and approach were neither constructive nor concrete. The values which I worked for, had changed," he added.
Refusing to comment on the Congress further, he said, "I don't think I should comment on Congress now that I have left the party. I was not comfortable with the mode of functioning of the party and realised that the right thing would be to leave the party and that's what I did."
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