New Delhi: In a big setback for the Congress party, Tajinder Singh Bittu, the AICC Secretary-in-Charge of Himachal Pradesh, resigned from the primary membership of the party and joined BJP on Saturday. Bittu, who is believed to be a close aide of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, joined the saffron party in the presence of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. Speaking to reporters after his induction into the saffron party, Bittu said, “The Congress party has deviated from the issues” and that he joined the BJP for the betterment of Punjab. “I have spent almost 35 years in the Congress Party, and today I feel that the Congress Party has deviated from the issues. I do not want to speak against anyone. For the betterment of Punjab, I joined the BJP,” Bittu told ANI.
#WATCH | Delhi: After joining BJP, Tajinder Singh Bittu says, “I have spent almost 35 years in the Congress party and today I feel that the Congress Party has deviated from the issues. I do not want to speak against anyone. For the betterment of Punjab, I joined BJP…”
He… pic.twitter.com/IkRGznuv3U
— ANI (@ANI) April 20, 2024
Bittu also shared his resignation letter in a Facebook post with the caption, “With a heavy heart, after 35 years, I resign from the Congress party.” Welcoming Bittu into the BJP fold, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that his induction will further strengthen the party.
“The amount of work done in the last 10 years is more than the work done in the past 60 years. PM Modi is presenting a new model of development in various sectors of every state. Whether its the railway sector, communication, highways, or textiles, in each sector transformation is visible. By seeing these transformations and developments, people have started feeling confident. I welcome Tajinder Singh Bittu ji to the party,” Vaishnaw said.
Speaking on his turn, Vinod Tawde hit out at the Congress government in Karnataka over the killing of Neha Hiremath, daughter of Congress Corporator Niranjan Hiremath. “Neha Hiremath’s father, who is the Corporator of the Congress party, alleged that it is a matter of ‘love jihad’, but the Congress party says that it is a ‘love affair.’ No matter what the reason is, crime has happened. But the state government is not taking appropriate action in the matter. Their slogan means to protect the vote bank rather than the women of the state,” he said.
Tajinder Singh Bittu’s move to quit Congress and join the BJP comes at a crucial time when the Lok Sabha elections are being held across the nation. Bittu’s exit marks another setback for the Congress party, which has witnessed an exodus of big leaders in the last few weeks.
Reacting to his exit, Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh said, “The high command has to decide why he went out of the party, what was resentment? I don’t have much knowledge about it. Another co-incharge will be placed…”
#WATCH | Shimla, Himachal Pradesh: On Tajinder Singh Bittu’s resignation from the Congress party, Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh says, “The high command has to decide why he went out of the party, what was resentment? I don’t have much knowledge about it. Another… pic.twitter.com/sJZx3p6lMC
— ANI (@ANI) April 20, 2024
Recent Exits In Congress
Congress has seen several high-profile exits in recent times with party spokesperson Rohan Gupta resigning from the party in March, citing “harassment and character assassination” by party leaders. Importantly, Rohan Gupta was declared as The Congress candidate from Ahmedabad East constituency. Earlier, another party spokesperson Gourav Vallabh and Olympic medallist and boxer Vijender Singh quit the Congress.
Senior Congress leader from Mumbai Sanjay Nirupam too quit the party even though the party said he was expelled for “anti-party” activities.