Heavyweight Congress tribal leader Naran Rathwa joins BJP, spells trouble in Central Gujarat

Gandhinagar : Giving yet another major blow to the opposition Congress in Gujarat, the former union minister and  Rajya Sabha member, Naran Rathwa joined the ruling BJP party in Gujarat on Tuesday. Apart from Rathwa, over ten thousand others joined the BJP on Tuesday including District and Tehsil panchayat elected representatives and workers, claimed the state BJP chief CR Paatil.

Five time Lok Sabha member from Congress and the sitting Rajya Sabha MP, Rathwa donned the saffron ‘Khes’ along with his son Sangramsinh Rathwa in the presence of the state BJP chief CR Paatil on Tuesday at the state party headquarters ‘Shri Kamalam’. Rathwa’s six years term as Rajya Sabha member ends in April this year.

While welcoming Rathwa father son duo and others, Paatil said, “Today more than ten thousand workers joined the BJP which is a historical moment. Even the people outside India now are saying that Modi’s guarantee means imprints on a rock. The BJP government has fulfilled all its promises given to the public since it’s inception.”

According to the BJP, more than ten thousand workers, including many district and Tehsil panchayat elected members of Congress joined the saffron party on Tuesday.

After the induction, while talking to a TV channel, Naran Rathwa said, “We don’t have anything the Congress, but looking at the developmental works carried out by the prime minister Narendra Modi, we have joined the BJP.”

Rathwa won the Lok Sabha elections on tribal dominated Chhota Udepur seat in 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998 and 2004.