UP Congress leaders slam Rita Bahuguna for ditching party

Several leaders of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Congress flayed Rita Bahuguna Joshi for quitting the party and joining the BJP and accused her of compromising on her secular credentials for personal gains.

Senior Congress leader Satyadev Tripathi accused her of hobnobbing with the communal forces for quite some time and passing information on party affairs to the rival camp.

Tripathi, Chairman of the Congress state unit's Communications Department, said her exit was a result of a deep-rooted conspiracy.

He said Joshi's brother and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna was for a long time trying to ensure his sister's exit from the Congress to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"Her decision to join the BJP on Thursday has proved she is an extremely ambitious woman who doesn't care for political morals or values," the Congress leader said.

He said the Congress, despite her stint with the Samajwadi Party earlier, not only fielded her twice in parliamentary elections but also made her the President of the Mahila Congress, state unit chief and then a legislator but Joshi remained thankless and opportunist.

Several other Congress leaders too slammed Joshi for her scathing remarks against party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, dubbing them "baseless and mischievous".

--IANS

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