Bharuch Congress Committee president Arunsinh Rana on Saturday said 100 BJP workers from nine villages of the district have joined the Congress and extended support to the ongoing nationwide farmers’ agitations against the three farm laws.
The BJP workers, all farmers, officially joined the Congress under the leadership of Bharuch district panchayat’s Nabipur seat member Shakil Akuji at the party’s headquarters in Bharuch on Saturday in presence of Bharuch District Congress president Parimalsinh Rana. More than 70 per cent of the new entrants are local Patidar Patels from Uprali, Samlod, Dabhali, Bharthana, Kavitha, Nand, Pipaliya, Karela, and Umrah villages and the rest are tribals, party sources said.
“The newcomers said they were not given importance in the BJP and no development work was done in their areas. In upcoming (local body) elections, these new workers will make Congress stronger,” Parimalsinh said.
Uprali village former sarpanch Mahesh Patel (54), who has been with the BJP for 35 years, said, “We are against the three new farm laws implemented by the BJP.”
BJP’s Bharuch district unit head Marutisinh Atodariya said, “I don’t know about the programme organised by Congress wherein 100 BJP workers joined the party. I can say that no active BJP worker has joined the Congress. I will talk to my party’s organisational secretary and check further.”
2020-12-26 16:00:34