Senior UP Congress leader RPN Singh joins BJP

New Delhi: Former Union Minister and one of the key leaders in Uttar Pradesh Congress, RPN Singh, quit the party and joined BJP on Tuesday, NDTV reported. His joining was in the presence of Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, former colleague Jyotiraditya Scindia and other BJP leaders. The leader, who was also in charge of Jharkhand, quitting Congress could be a considerable backlash for them as UP is going for polls next month.

Speaking at a press conference, he said that he had been in a party (Congress) for 32 years, but he must say that the party is no longer what it used to be. It is widely known today that the only party in the country which is working for the benefit of the people and the progress of the nation is BJP. This is a new beginning for him, he said and added that he would work as 'Karyakarta' for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfil his dreams.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate addressed a press conference after RPN Singh's resignation that Congress is putting up a battle against government resources and its agencies across India and particularly in UP. It is a battle of ideology truth, and therefore one needs courage and dedication. She does not believe that the fight was meant for cowards, she lashed out. Quoting Priyanka Gandhi, she said that one needs to be on their toes to fight in the battle.

RPN Singh left the Congress after the major exit of Jitin Prasada last year. Prasada became a minister in the state in Yogi Adityanath's government.

RPN Singh is a backward caste leader in the state and has won multiple elections from eastern UP. He had won the Padrauna assembly seat thrice and defeated Swami Prasad Maurya from Kushinagar in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. He was believed to be very close to Congress's Rahul Gandhi and was included in Congress's list of 30 star campaigners for the first phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh, released on Monday.