Haryana: 2 former MLAs from Congress, 1 from INLD join BJP

In a big boost to the BJP, two former MLAs from the Congress and one from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) along with many workers joined the party on Sunday in the presence of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Welcoming the new leaders, at a programme held in Tilyar here, the Chief Minister urged them to immediately join campaigning for the ruling party.

INLD leader Vedpal Narang, who is considered a stalwart from the Barwala Assembly seat, Congress leaders Ramswarup Rama and Phool Singh Kheri were among the persons who took BJP's membership today.

While Rama had served as a Cabinet Minister in former Chief Minister Bansilal's government, Narang had won Barwala seat in 2014 from the INLD ticket.

Senior Congress leader from the Sirsa seat Bhupesh Mehta too joined BJP today along with two members of the family of former minister late Chaudhary Dheerpal Singh -- Arvind Gulia and Abhishek.

Welcoming the leaders Khattar said, "Every leader who has a clean image is welcome in BJP. We do a background check of all the leaders who are to join the party. They are allowed to join only if they fulfil these parameters. BJP runs on principles, its sole purpose is to serve the society and the country."

The Chief Minister also attacked Congress by saying, "It is not new in Congress cadres that wherever four people come together they cannot stay together. This is very similar to what is happening in their central unit as well. There is dynasty politics, family rule in the party, that is why Congress is facing this fate."

He denied having any conversation with former Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar and said, "Only Tanwar can tell who has contacted him, there has been no conversation with him from our side. But these things keep happening in Congress."

He asserted that the party will get 75 plus seats in the elections and added that his thinking was based on the reaction of the people who joined the BJP candidates in large numbers as they were enroute to filing their nominations from Mewat region.