Former Union Minister Jitin Prasada on Wednesday quit the Congress where, he said, “he felt he was unable to serve the interests of his people and society”, and joined the BJP. His induction took place at the BJP’s national headquarters here in the presence of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and BJP media cell in charge Anil Baluni.
Mr. Goyal specially mentioned Mr. Prasada’s father, the late senior Congress leader Jitendra Prasada, as one who had rendered great service to the people of Uttar Pradesh. “I have been watching Jitin Prasada for many years, he lost his father when he was quite young, but he took on the mantle, and decided to serve Uttar Pradesh, winning two Lok Sabha elections in 2004 and 2009. He has been diligent in his push for development of his constituency, lobbying hard with the government since 2014 for a railway project in the area,” he said.
Mr Goyal, sources said, was instrumental in negotiations between Mr. Prasada and the BJP top leadership before the induction.
‘A new chapter’
For himself, Mr. Prasada said, joining the BJP was a start of a new chapter in his political life and he had done so as he felt it was the only party currently that was an “institutionally national party” and all other parties were either personality oriented or regional in nature. “As for the Congress party, I left because I felt that if one is unable to serve one’s people or protect their interests being in a certain party, it is better to leave. Under the BJP and and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I feel that I will be better able to serve my people,” he said at the presser.
Interestingly, Jitendra Prasada had contested against Congress president Sonia Gandhi in organisational polls in November 2000, while Mr. Jitin Prasada was a signatory to the G23 missive sent to the Congress leadership pointing to organisational failures and was seen as a semi-rebellion in the ranks.
Brahmin factor
Sources said Mr. Prasada’s induction was a response to heavy feedback from the Uttar Pradesh unit of the BJP that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s reported close identification with the Rajput community was alienating Brahmins, who form at least 12% of the vote in the State. “The community also punches above its weight in terms of societal influence,” said a source in the BJP.
Mr. Prasada, who had formed a Brahmin Chetana Manch, with a patchy record of influence, is being seen as a part of the BJP national leadership’s move to press the reset button on the Brahmin-Rajput equations, and settle the upper caste vote consolidation.
It is also significant that the induction comes at a time when BJP and RSS leaders have been engaged in stocktaking exercises in Lucknow and the report submitted to party president J.P. Nadda on that exercise mentioned the resentment of Brahmin leaders in the party against Mr. Adityanath.
Mr. Prasada’s entry into the party may unsettle some equations in the BJP, not just in the Adityanath camp but also among those Brahmin leaders in the party who were jockeying for position as purveyors of the interests of the community.
