Delhi: Former Jharkhand Congress In Charge and union minister Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party at the saffron party's headquarters in Delhi on Tuesday. Talking to ETV Bharat, RPN Singh said, "I have joined BJP after getting impressed by the work done by PM Modi. The country is having a rapid development and I want to contribute to it and joined the party without any condition.
"Uttar Pradesh is witnessing a BJP wave and the government will be formed again with a thumping majority by winning more than 300 seats." However, when asked about whether MLA's in Jharkhand are in touch with him, Singh who was the Jharkhand Congress In Charge said, "I don't like to comment on it."
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Meanwhile, Congress unleashed a veiled attack on RPN Singh saying that the battle Congress is fighting only can be fought with bravery, and coward people can't fight it. "The battle Congres is putting up all across the country, particularly in Uttar Pradesh is a battle of ideology, truth and to fight a battle as strong pitched as this one you have to fight it with courage and a lot of dedication. I don't think this fight is meant for cowards," said Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, while addressing a press conference.
"As Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, to fight this battle you need to be on your toe, you need to have courage, you cannot be a coward and fight this battle," she added. Another Congress spokesperson Gaurav Ballabh said, "He did not have a commitment towards the party's ideology and that's why such people are leaving the party and people who are weak cannot fight the battle of ideology."
RPN Singh, who was a close aide to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, was in the list of Congress star campaigners for the Uttar Pradesh elections, but a day when Congress released the list, the party high command received his resignation. In a big jolt to Congress, Taking to Twitter, Singh posted his resignation letter addressed to Sonia Gandhi, "Today, at a time, we are celebrating the formation of our great Republic, I begin a new chapter in my political journey. Jai Hind."
Notably, prior to the resignation, Singh had also changed his Twitter Bio from: AICC in-charge, Jharkhand, Spokesperson Congress party, Former Minister of State for Home Affairs, to "My motto India, First, Always."
Read: UP POLLS 2022: Veteran leader Anand Gautam resigns from Congress
Singh, popularly known as Raja Saheb of Padrauna was a former Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He was an MP from the Kushinagar constituency in the 15th Lok Sabha (2009-2014). The 57-year-old former Congress loyalist from the erstwhile royal family of Sainthwar of Kushinagar (Padrauna) was an MLA from the Padrauna constituency of Uttar Pradesh (1996-2009), just like his father CPN Singh.
The Congress party's Jharkhand in-charge, RPN Singh has previously severed as the Minister of State from 2012 to 2014. However, in the 16th Lok Sabha election, he lost to BJP's Rajesh Pandey. The Doon School alumnus has also served as the All India Congress Committee's Secretary from 2003-2006. RPN Singh's exit from the party would come off as a massive blow for Congress right before the Assembly elections of the term.
Elections for the 403 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
