Nehru Gandhi family loyalist Rita Bahuguna today formally joined BJP today. She said the developments in the past few days forced her to quit Congress. Considered to be close to Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi Bahuguna said that comments like ‘khoon ki dalali’ (made by Rahul Gandhi) forced her to rethink her 24 year affiliation with Congress party.
Pointing direct fingers at Rahul Gandhi she said: “Sonia Gandhi had organisational understand. But Rahul Gandhi has no such understanding. His leadership is not acceptable to the people of UP or that of India”. She said that it was wrong on the part of her former party to
“Bringing the Narendra Modi government to power in Uttar Pradesh is the only way to bring development in the state. That’s why I am joining the party. I have spoken to Amit Shah. They have no agenda behind their politics. Development is their only agenda.
Joshi, is currently an MLA from the Lucknow Cantt assembly seat. also made public the internal strife within the Congress. Miffed over increasing importance of election strategist Prashant Kishore within the party she said: “Congress has no future. Now that you have to outsource the work of the party to outsiders. Prashant Kishore has been given entire charge of the elections and we given directions just one night in advance.”
During the 2012 Assembly elections, Joshi had led the Congress party in the state. However, the party performed poorly winningo a mere 28 of the 403 seats it contested.
Earlier this year, Joshi’s brother Vijay Bahuguna, who is Joshi’s brother, had marched out of the Congress in Uttarakhand with his splinter group of nine MLAs. It resulted in the imposition of the President’s Rule in the state. Soon, Vijay Bahuguna joined the BJP. Bahuguna was apparently miffed over the reins of the state being handed over to current chief minister Harish Rawat. Elections are also due in Uttarakhand.
