Congress leader Jitin Prasada joins BJP

Prasada, 47, a two-term Lok Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh, is expected to boost the BJP’s efforts in wooing the influential Brahmin community in UP

Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections next year, sulking Congress leader and former Union Minister Jitin Prasada on Wednesday joined the BJP, heralding a new chapter in his political innings.

Prasada, 47, a two-term Lok Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh, is expected to boost the BJP’s efforts in wooing the influential Brahmin community in the state which has been feeling alienated in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tenure where the Thakur community appears to be calling the shots in power.

Prasada, one of the G-23 letter writers in the Congress, joined the BJP in the presence of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni and after a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah. Prasada later called on BJP President J P Nadda.

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“Three generations of my family have been associated with the Congress. I begin a new chapter in my life today with the BJP,” he told reporters at the BJP headquarters here flanked by Goyal and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni.

Prasada, who took the political plunge after the death of his father Jitendra Prasada, said he was unable to do justice to his supporters while being in Congress.

“This war of principles, I am sad Mr Prasada has taken a complete somersault,” Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said.

Prasada’s contemporary in the UPA government Milind Deora wished the Congress leadership “empowered and optimally utilised” the “strong bench” within the party.

After he put his signature to the letter last year demanding a “more visible” leadership in the Congress, Prasada was made the AICC in-charge of West Bengal.

Under his stewardship, the Congress failed to open its account in the West Bengal assembly where it was the largest opposition party with 44 MLAs.

“What is the use of being in a political party where you cannot take care of the interests of your supporters. I was unable to do so in the Congress,” he said.

Once identified with the youth brigade of Rahul Gandhi, Prasada had found himself sidelined in the Congress after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took to reins of party affairs in Uttar Pradesh.

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Last year, Prasada had launched the Brahman Chetna Parishad, to give voice to the demands and aspirations of the influential community that forms 13% of the voters in Uttar Pradesh.

Ahead of the 2017 assembly elections, Prasada has reached out to the Brahmin community in the state through a series of conferences but had failed to make an impact as BJP swept the polls.

Brahmins constitute about 13% of the total voters in Uttar Pradesh and are considered to wield influence electorally in the state.

Last year, Prasada had claimed that Tripathi, under the Yogi Adityanath government Brahmins were not getting their due and were instead being targeted.

“There is a bias against the community across all platforms and there is absolutely no help from the government. Even ruling party MLAs and MPs are feeling suffocated,” Prasada had said last year.

On Wednesday, Prasada was all praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that he looked forward to making a small contribution in the BJP’s efforts to build a “new India.”