Rajesh Rastogi, Purushottam Sharma join BJP
By Our Staff Reporter
Haridwar, 3 Apr: The Uttarakhand Congress suffered another major jolt today when several senior leaders considered close to veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat joined BJP in the presence of BJP State President Mahendra Bhatt and BJP candidate from Haridwar, Trivendra Singh Rawat, here, today. Among the Congress leaders who joined BJP included Parmadhayaksha Chetan Jyoti Swami Rishishwaranand, ex-Congress General Secretary Rajesh Rastogi and Purushottam Sharma. All of them are considered close to Harish Rawat. Along with these leaders, hundreds of their supporters also joined the BJP.
It may be recalled that State General Secretary of Congress and a prominent Congress leader in Laksar, Rajesh Rastogi had quit Congress yesterday after meeting former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. It was being speculated that he would be joining the BJP soon. Trivendra Singh Rawat and State BJP President Mahendra Bhatt welcomed Purushottam Sharma and all other supporters on joining BJP. On this occasion. Trivendra Singh Rawat said that all the people who have joined the Modi family today have expressed their faith and trust in the BJP. Their joining the BJP would definitely benefit the party in the ongoing elections.
Rawat said that all those who have joined the party today will expectedly contribute to Uttarakhand and the country’s development by becoming allies in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolution of a developed India. Rawat also noted that around 20,000 leaders and workers from Congress, SP, BSP and Lok Dal have joined BJP in the past few weeks after being impressed by the BJP’s commitment to development and towards preserving the Sanatani culture of the country. He declared that only Sanatan can uplift the human race. The world is understanding this today, he claimed.
Rawat noted that there are different types of cultures in the world. There have been many attempts to erase Indian Sanatani culture but no one could do so. Even today, Sanatan Dharma stands strong. Today only BJP is engaged in the work of strengthening Sanatan Dharma. This is the reason why many people are joining the party.
Rawat said that, in the last election, BJP had won from Haridwar by more than 2.5 lakh votes. In the present one, the party expects it will win by more than 5 lakh votes, particularly in view of the way there is a constant stream of people wanting to join the BJP.
It may be recalled that Purushottam Sharma was OSD of Harish Rawat when he was Chief Minister, while Rajendra Chaudhary is former District Panchayat President. Swami Chetan Jyoti Rishishwarananda is a well known spiritual leader who was an active Congress leader in Haridwar.
Purushottam Sharma said that he had joined after being impressed by the customs and policies of BJP. On the question of his displeasure with Harish Rawat, he described Harda as a father figure. He claimed that he has no personal grudge against Harish Rawat.
While welcoming the Congress leaders and the sages joining the party, State BJP President Mahendra Bhatt said that, at present, there is dissatisfaction in the Congress not only in the entire state but in the entire country. He asserted that BJP will score a hat-trick of victory by winning all the five seats in Uttarakhand.
Also present on this occasion were BJP District President Sandeep Goyal, MLA and former minister Madan Kaushik, Aadesh Chauhan, former MLA Sanjay Gupta, and Swami Yatishwaranand, along with members of Haridwar’s Sant Samaj.
