In major blow to Congress ahead of LS polls, former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri joins BJP

Significantly, the setback to the grand old party came just a day after Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra crossed over into Gujarat after a brief stopover in Madhya Pradesh.

Bhopal: In a big jolt to the Congres party ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri joined the BJP in Bhopal on Saturday.

Significantly, the setback to the grand old party came just a day after Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra crossed over into Gujarat after a brief stopover in Madhya Pradesh.

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Reacting to the Congress’s latest big-name exit ahead of the general elections, which are likely to be held sometime between April and May, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan blamed it on the ‘lack of leadership’ in the grand old party.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Chouhan, who has entered the Lok Sabha fray from Vidisha, said, “It seems Rahul Gandhi will breathe easy only after finishing off the Congress. It will be in line with what Mahatma Gandhi suggested the Congress should do. All good leaders in the Congress are fed up with the party’s rudderless and directionless state. The Congress appears to be on the verge of extinction.” Also addressing media persons after the BJP picked up its latest Congress scalp, the party’s state president VD Sharma said, “Former Union Minister and Congress leader Suresh Pachouri is a tall leader in Madhya Pradesh Congress.

Since there is no place for leaders of his stature in the Congress anymore, he has joined the BJP and will work under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” Also reacting to the development, BJP stalwart Kailash Vijayvargiya said, “All tall leaders are deserting the Congress even as Rahul Gandhi is busy with his Nyay Yatra. All leaders and workers in the Congress have come to this realisation that if anyone can do justice to people across the country, it is PM Modi. So, many are switching sides and joining the BJP.”

Earlier, in February, there were speculations around former Union Minister and Congress state chief Kamal Nath joining the BJP.

However, despite rumours of a flip, the Congress stalwart decided to stay put with the grand old party.