In a setback to the Congress just ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, former Union Minister Jitin Prasada, a close aide of Rahu Gandhi, on Wednesday joined the BJP. Jitin said that even after being in Congress, he was not able to help his people; when he could not help his own people, there is no point in staying in politics.
Jitin, son of Congress leader late Jitendra Prasada and a close aide of Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh, joined the BJP by saying goodbye to the Congress. He came to Parliament in 2009 after winning the Shahjahanpur seat in 2009 and had also been the Minister of Steel, HRD, Petroleum in the Manmohan Singh government.
“I started feeling that I was in a party surrounded by politics. I started feeling that I was not able to contribute or work for the people,” said Jitin Prasada. “BJP is the only real political party. It’s the only national party. The rest are regional. BJP and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi only ones that can meet the challenges the country is facing now,” he said, claiming he started thinking about the move 10 years ago (when he was a Union Minister).
Sources say that Jitin was feeling isolated ever since Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took charge of Uttar Pradesh. He had no say in UP Congress, not even in his own home district. The district president was made against his wish. Even during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, his displeasure was known and talk of his leaving the Congress was in full swing. Congress leader Randeep Surjewala himself had to clarify on Jitin Prasada.
Jitin is a big leader and Brahmin face in UP. BJP needed such a big Brahmin face before the 2022 Assembly elections. Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hasbole of RSS held a meeting with BJP leaders in Delhi and Lucknow to help BJP get the social equation right in UP. The displeasure of the Brahmins in UP against the current Yogi Adityanath government has been on the rise. There are 12-13 percent Brahmins in UP, but they have a great influence on the voting as well as the electoral prospects in their respective areas. BJP did not have a strong Brahmin face.
Brahmins have been the core voter base of the BJP. Earlier, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Murli Manohar Joshi used to be big face of Brahmins in UP. BJP feels that Jitin Prasada will fill this gap. Jitin’s father Jitendra Prasada was a big Brahmin face in UP, he had been the state president of UP Congress; he had been a close advisor to three Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and P.V. Narasimha Rao at the Centre too. He had been the National Vice President of the All India Congress Committee and had also contested the election of the Congress president against current Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Jitin Prasada himself said that he has been in Congress for three generations, but today the Congress has become an individual party, so he is joining BJP. In the Congress, Jitin Prasada, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot were counted among the leaders close to Rahul Gandhi. After Scindia, now Jitin’s departure from the Congress is a big setback for the Congress. There are reports of Sachin Pilot getting angry in Rajasthan too. The promises that Rahul Gandhi made to Pilot are allegedly yet to be fulfilled.
After Jitin Prasada’s exit from the grand old party, political circles are now abuzz on the next move of another youth brigade leader of the Congress Sachin Pilot, who had raised the banner of revolt against Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot last year. After a period of 10 months of peace, tension started simmering last month when Pilot loyalist MLA Hemram Chaudhary tendered his resignation from the legislative Assembly of Rajasthan. Pilot himself has broken his silence on the issue and made it clear that the Congress leadership has yet to deliver on its promise to his demands after his revolt last year.
While talking to media on 8 June, Pilot said: “It has now been 10 months. I was given to understand that there would be swift action by the committee, but now half of the term is done, and those issues haven’t been resolved. It is unfortunate that so many of the party workers who worked and gave their all for getting us the mandate are not being heard.”
In July last year, 18 MLAs from Rajasthan put the Gehlot government in jeopardy by camping at a secret location in Haryana. This development created a huge uproar in the party circles and he was removed from the post of deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan and the position of PCC chief. After personal intervention of the Gandhi family, Pilot came back to the party fold and a three-member committee was formed by the Congress high command to address his grievances. The committee has not met since August last year. One of its members, Ahmed Patel, died of Covid in November. On Wednesday, after Jitin Prasad joined the BJP, when a Congress spokesperson Supriya Srinate was asked about Pilot, she said, “There has to be a turnaround time. Sachin Pilot has to be patient.” She also pointed out that the Congress did make him the country’s youngest deputy Chief Minister.
Pilot took part in the party’s meeting on Wednesday via video conference in which Chief Minister Gehlot was also present. This meeting was about the party strategy against price rise demonstrations across the state on June 11. All eyes now are set on June 11 which is the death anniversary of Sachin Pilot’s father and former Union minister Rajesh Pilot. Sachin Pilot goes to Dausa every year on this occasion with his supporters to pay tribute to his father.