Less than six months after he quit the Congress to join the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), veteran Gujjar leader and former Faridabad MP Avtar Singh Bhadana joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday.
Mr. Bhadana, a four-time Lok Sabha MP, was formally inducted into the BJP by Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal in a function at the party's office in New Delhi in the evening. Union Minister of Rural Development Birender Singh, Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala and Bhiwani-Mahendragarh MP Dharambir Singh were also present on the occasion.
Later, Mr. Bhadana told The Hindu he was inspired by the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was ready to take any responsibility that would be assigned to him by the party president. “I have been inspired by the policies of Modi ji and would work towards elimination of poverty and corruption. I only need respect and not hungry for any post,” he said.
On quitting the INLD, Mr. Bhadana said he owed his political career to former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal and had joined INLD to bail out Chautalas who were in trouble. “I have done my bit for them. Now I have the blessings of Mr. Shah and Mr. Modi,” he said.
Welcoming Mr. Bhadana to the party fold, Mr. Barala said several leaders were attracted towards the policies of the BJP over the past few months and those willing to work towards nation-building were welcome.
Mr. Bhadana, who has also been a Minister in the Haryana Government for a brief period in 1988, had quit the Congress in August last year accusing the party high command of not taking any action against those responsible for the defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. He later joined the INLD and was appointed its national vice-president.
