By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 7 Apr: Three-time Congress MLA and former Cabinet Minister Dinesh Aggarwal, who had quit the Congress yesterday, joined the BJP today as had been indicated by Garhwal Post. While Dinesh Aggarwal along with his supporters joined the BJP at a specially held programme at the BJP State Headquarters on Balbir Road, here, senior Congress leader SP Singh joined the BJP from the comfort of his home.
It may be recalled that Chairman of Sardar Bhagwan Singh University and senior Congress leader SP Singh had also quit the Congress yesterday.
Dinesh Aggarwal has been a very senior Congress leader, who contested the Assembly election twice from Dehradun City in undivided Uttar Pradesh and was a long time Congress leader. At a specially held function, Aggarwal joined the BJP in the presence of BJP State President Mahendra Bhatt, Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal, who himself is a former Congress leader, former Chief Minister and currently the BJP candidate from the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat, Trivendra Singh Rawat, his arch rival and Dharampur MLA Vinod Chamoli, and former Chief Minister and outgoing Haridwar MP Dr RP Nishank, besides cabinet ministers Prem Chand Aggarwal and Ganesh Joshi.
Interestingly, despite speculation in political circles about Aggarwal jumping ship to join the BJP for past more than a week, he had been made one of the 40 Star Campaigners by the Congress in Uttarakhand. Sources close to Aggarwal claimed that, despite being a senior Congress leader, he had been sidelined by the party for long and therefore was feeling ignored.
Speaking on the occasion, BJP State President welcomed Aggarwal and his supporters and stated that they all had come to contribute and support the ongoing development mission in the country. He assured that, as the state president, it would be his responsibility to arrange for them suitable responsibilities. He said that in the BJP, leaders emerge from amongst the workers, no one becomes a leader by right of birth. On this occasion, Bhatt said that the kind of atmosphere that is visible and the feedback that the party is receiving, it would be difficult for the Congress candidates to even save their security deposits on all the five seats.
Joining the party on this occasion, Dinesh Aggarwal reminded that he had started his political career in the Congress in 1968 but, today, there is lack of leadership in the party. In view of this, it is no longer possible for any ideological and public-minded person to remain in Congress. Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that wherever he (Aggarwal) goes, he hears the same thing everywhere that there is no leader like Modi in this era. He and his colleagues who have come here have been impressed by the work of Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Dhami. He also clarified that he had come with a selfless spirit and considered himself extremely fortunate that he is getting the opportunity to support those who are taking the country forward.
It may be recalled that Dinesh Aggarwal has contested elections seven times for the Assembly on the Congress ticket, winning three straight times before losing twice to Vinod Chamoli of the BJP. He has also contested and lost one Mayoral poll on the Congress ticket. However, for the past few years, he had been feeling neglected in the party, leading to the speculation over the past fortnight that he may quit the party and join the BJP. Amid this speculation, senior Congress leader Pritam Singh and PCC Chief Karan Mahara had also called on him in an attempt to convince him to stay in the party, but obviously, their efforts did not succeed.
It may be recalled that Dinesh Aggarwal contested the elections from Dehradun Assembly seat in 1993 and 1996 when he was from Uttar Pradesh, but lost to Harbans Kapoor. After the formation of the state, he defeated Nityanand Swami from Laxman Chowk seat in two consecutive elections in 2002 and 2007. In 2012, he defeated BJP’s Prakash Dhyani from Dharampur assembly seat. In the 2017 and the 2022 elections, he lost to BJP’s Vinod Chamoli. In between, he had also contested election for the post of Dehradun’s Mayor in 2018 but had lost to Sunil Uniyal Gama of BJP.
Senior Congress leader SP Singh also joined the BJP today. He joined at a function held in his residence in the presence of BJP State President Mahendra Bhatt, former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and Doiwala MLA Brijbhushan Gairola. Speaking to Garhwal Post, Singh said that Congress has lost its direction and vision as against the BJP which is taking the country and the state forward. He claimed that he had been mulling joining the BJP for some time now after being impressed with the kind of the policies and work that Narendra Modi Government at the Centre and Pushkar Singh Dhami had been doing as CM in Uttarakhand and stated that he would contribute in whatever way the BJP wishes to utilise his services. He also shared that he will now dedicate more time to politics and much less to business.
