Several Rajasthan Congress Leaders, Including Former MLAs, Join BJP

Several leaders, including former MLAs Chandra Shekhar Vaid and Nandlal Poonia and former Jaipur mayor Jyoti Khandelwal, on Saturday joined the BJP after leaving the Congress.

Other leaders who joined the BJP include Hari Singh Charan, who had fought the Assembly election as an independent candidate from Mandawa, Congress leader Sanwarmal Meharia and former IPS officers Kesar Singh Shekhawat and Bhim Singh.

"Trust in the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has increased. People today have trust in the guarantee of Modi ji. People have stopped believing in the guarantees given by the Congress," BJP state president CP Joshi said at a press conference in Jaipur.

"They have seen what happened to guarantees, including complete farm loan waiver, providing unemployment allowance, women security, development and controlling inflation," he added.

Mr Joshi also condemned Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's statement on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials, saying that using such derogatory words for bureaucrats is condemnable.

"A chief minister (Bhupesh Baghel) had to say that more than dogs, the ED is roaming in the country. What could be a bigger misfortune than this?" Mr Gehlot had said on Friday.

The party's state in-charge Arun Singh said it is clear that the countdown of the Gehlot government has started and the BJP will win the upcoming Assembly polls with a historic margin.

He said the statements of chief minister Gehlot reflect a resentment with the Congress and Mr Gehlot himself, so they are using derogatory words against government employees.

After joining the BJP, former Jaipur mayor Jyoti Khandelwal said honest and dedicated workers were sidelined in the Congress and the high command was not listening to their issues.

"I continuously saw that there was no hearing of issues of workers who were dedicated towards the party. They were sidelined. High command was maintaining silence or had compromised even after knowing everything," Ms Khandelwal told reporters.

She said the BJP has a strong leadership under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and she will work to strengthen the party. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)