Ex-Congress spokesperson CR Kesavan on Saturday joined the saffron party. This is another blow to Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. CR Kesavan, who is also the great-grandson of India’s first Indian Governor-General, C Rajagopalachari while speaking to the media 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.”
Kesavan, who was in the Congress earlier, heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ushering in “tectonic” transformation in India with his people-centric policies, and corruption-free and inclusive governance. National security has been given primacy and India’s history and traditions are being celebrated with various events, Kesavan, who hails from Tamil Nadu, said, referring to the recent ‘Kashi-Tamil Samagam’.
He praised the BJP for the “deep respects” it has for the country’s founding fathers and mothers. Kesavan also lauded the government’s handling the COVID-19 pandemic and credited it for India’s rise in global stature. He joined the party in the presence of Union Minister VK Singh and BJP chief spokesperson Anil Baluni.
Speaking on the occasion, Singh cited Rajagopalachari’s contribution to the country and alleged that he was “sidelined” after independence and “invisiblised” from history as “one family tried to say they did everything”. Kesavan will be a strong voice in the BJP and also in the politics of Tamil Nadu, he said.
CR Kesavan hails PM Modi
“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 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.
“I know people in my house who got ‘pucca’ house through PM Awas Yojana. 3 crore houses have been built…Amit Shah ji once said that DBT was earlier ‘Dealer Broker Transfer’, but now it has become ‘Direct Benefit Transfer’,” said CR Kesavan, former Congress leader.
Kesavan’s resignation
Earlier, 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, Anil Antony, who parted ways with the party after coming out in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the controversial BBC documentary series.
Anil 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 Anil Baluni were also present on the occasion.
(with inputs from agencies)