Jyotiraditya Scindia slams Congress as a BJP man

New Delhi: A day after announcing his resignation from the Congress, Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP on Wednesday in presence of the ruling party's president JP Nadda.

According to sources, the BJP is likely to name him as one of its candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh and is also confident of forming the government in the state with his help as 22 MLAs including Scindia's supporters have resigned from the state assembly reducing the Kamal Nath government to a minority.

Peeved with his marginalisation in the Congress, Scindia met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday and then the two leaders went to the prime minister's residence where they held talks for over an hour.

Soon after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the disgruntled Madhya Pradesh Congress leader tendered his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi saying it was time for him to move on.

Scindia took the decision to sever his ties with the Congress on the day of his father Madhavrao Scindia's 75th birth anniversary.

A four-time MP, Scindia first got elected from Guna in Madhya Pradesh in 2002 after winning a bye-election necessitated by his father's demise. He was only 31 years old at that time.

He gradually made his way up the Congress ladder becoming Minister of State for Communications and IT in 2007 during the Congress-led UPA-1. In 2009, he became Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and in 2012 was appointed Minister of State for Power during UPA-2.

After the Congress lost the 2014 General Election, Sonia Gandhi named him the party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha.

Scindia, criticised the Congress saying that the party is not the same as it used to be and is far removed from reality.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters after being inducted into the party by its president JP Nadda, Scindia hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and said the country's future is secure in his hands.

Talking about his decades-old association with the Congress, Scindia said he was hurt and distressed as he was not being able to serve the people in that party.

Attacking the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, he said the dream which he along with his former colleagues saw for Madhya Pradesh has been shattered in 18 months.

“I would like to thank BJP chief Nadda, Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for inviting me into the BJP family,” he said, adding that they had given him a platform to serve the people.