Itanagar, Aug. 24: BJP national secretary and former MP from Arunachal Pradesh, Kiren Rijiju, today joined the Congress, surprising even the most seasoned political pundits.

The two-time MP from Arunachal Pradesh was the BJP’s most vocal representative from the region. Rijiju announced his decision to quit the BJP and join the Congress at a joint press conference he addressed with chief minister Dorjee Khandu and Arunachal PCC president Nabam Tuki this evening.

“My decision to relinquish the BJP and join the Congress is fully unconditional, conscious and politically correct. Though I feel that changing parties is not a healthy sign for a politician but given the current political situation in the state and the Centre, I took the decision after giving it a good thought. I think as an MP I always tried to perform my duty with utmost sincerity prior to losing the Arunachal West parliamentary segment to arch-rival Congress’s Takam Sanjoy. I always wanted to justify my position as a BJP MP. Now in my new role as a Congressman, I want to carry out the duty bestowed on me by my new party,” Rijiju said.

Terming his move as “historic”, Rijuju said though he was a BJP national secretary, he had kept his options open and was continuously on the lookout for a better platform, which would put him on a pedestal as a politician.

Rijiju said just seven months ago, he trained his guns against Sanjoy, but has now buried the hatchet with his bitter rival, as in politics there are no permanent friends or foes.

The former MP claimed that ideologically, the BJP and the Congress were not poles apart.

He, however, said he had never represented the BJP’s ideology as his roots were in the Congress, since his father was a Congressman.

The chief minister expressed satisfaction that he mediated a meeting between AICC general secretary, V. Narayanswamy, who is also the Union minister for planning and parliamentary affairs, and Rijiju recently. After the meeting, Rijiju was taken into the Congress fold.

“The Congress has always aspired to take Kiren Rijiju into our camp given his efficiency and popularity. It was my conscious effort to persuade him to join the Congress. It was during the no-confidence motion over the nuclear deal in Parliament that I first approached him with the assurance that he would be given party ticket if he supported the UPA government. I had approached him at the behest of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi but Rijiju had refused,” Khandu said.

Home minister Jarbom Gamlin and Sanjoy, too, were present at the news conference.