Two regional parties also merge with Congress

New Delhi : In a major development that will have significant bearing on General Elections in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir, one sitting, two former MPs and a sitting MLA today joined the Congress at the party headquarters.

Congress spokesperson and Chairman of the Media and Publicity in the Communications Department of the AICC Pawan Khera, while briefing the reporters said that the joining of leaders from other parties was going to be a continuous process as the winds of change have started blowing. He pointed out, two sittings BJP MPs, one each from Rajasthan and Haryana had joined the party earlier and more leaders were to follow.

They include sitting BSP MP from Amroha Kanwar Danish Ali, five time MP from Bihar Pappu Yadav, two time MP from Jammu and Kashmir Lal Singh and three time MLA and party whip of the BJP in Jharkhand assembly Jai Prakash Patel.

While Yadav merged his regional political party Jan Adhikar Party, Singh merged his Dogra Swabhiman Sanghathan with the Congress. 

These leaders were inducted into the party during separate functions held at the AICC headquarters here today.

Speaking on the occasion, five-time former MP and one time Bihar MLA, Pappu Yadav said, although he was heading his own regional political party, he was always influenced by the secular ideology of the Congress. He said, he had always felt ideologically closer to the Congress and felt happy merging his party with the Congress today.

Lal Singh, who has been a two-time former Congress MP from Udhampur parliamentary constituency in J&K said, in returning to the Congress, he felt like having come back to his home.

Danish Ali said that right now the country was standing at the crossroads as there was a battle going on between two ideologies. On the one side, he said, there was a divisive ideology and on the other hand there was an ideology represented by the Congress fighting for the rights of those exploited and marginalized. He said the choice was clear for him and he decided to join the Congress.

Jai Prakash Patel, a sitting MLA and party whip of the BJP said that under current circumstances in the county, Congress was the only alternative for the nation. He thanked the party leadership for inducting him into the party.