New Delhi, April 2: Former Samajwadi Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia today joined the BJP, claiming he was disillusioned with "diversion" from the socialist ideals of Ram Manohar Lohia and the dominance of "dynasty politics" in his old party.
Bhatia, who was additional advocate-general of the Uttar Pradesh government and one of the prominent faces of the party in television debates, had quit the Samajwadi Party in the run-up to the elections.
Known for his withering criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah in the past, Bhatia today said their leadership had "inspired" him. "The Samajwadi Party was moving away from the ideals of Ram Manohar Lohia. There is no value of loyalty and sincerity and it has been surrendered to dynastic politics," the Supreme Court lawyer said.
He avoided any direct attack on former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav or Mulayam Singh Yadav. He met Shah after formally joining the party in the presence of BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav.
The BJP has embraced leaders from every party and broadened its support base across the country. Its point man in Assam is Himanta Biswa Sarma, a former Congress heavyweight who had faced vicious attacks by the BJP for years.
The BJP has also accommodated large number of other leaders from the Congress, NCP, BSP and the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar, Karnataka and other states.
Virbhadra quit call
The BJP has demanded the resignation of Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh, alleging the ruling Congress should remove him in an assets case if it had any sense of "morality".
"The influence of immorality and corruption had become so strong on the Congress that it is defending Virbhadra, a chargesheeted chief minister," Bhupendra Yadav, the BJP general secretary, said.
Accusing the Congress of not fighting against black money but batting for those who possess such cash, the BJP questioned silence of Rahul Gandhi on the issue.
Bhupendra Yadav alleged forgery and misrepresentation of facts by Singh, and claimed the CBI had found the chief minister showing profits from his apple orchards of more than Rs 6 crore in 2008-09 and 2010-11, while it was zero in the previous years.
The investigations have also revealed that the apples worth Rs 6 crore were transported on scooters and motorcycles, Bhupendra Yadav said. "Rahul Gandhi should reveal what is the secret formula to earn so much money by a farmer like Virbhadra Singh. If the Congress is left with any morality, it should seek his resignation."
Singh and his wife have been chargesheeted by the CBI. Last week, Delhi High Court refused to quash the assets case against the couple, saying there was no basis to claim it was the result of a "political vendetta". The court also lifted an October 2015 stay on the arrest and interrogation of Singh.
