Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) national vice president and former Bihar minister Mahachandra Prasad Singh, ex-state Congress general secretary Binod Sharma and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwahas nephew Vijay Singh Kushwaha Saturday joined BJP in the presence of senior party leaders.
They took membership of BJP in the presence of senior party leaders, including national general secretary and Bihar in-charge Bhupendra Yadav, Deputy Chief Minister Suhsil Kumar Modi, Health Minister Mangal Pandey, state party vice president Devesh Kumar and others.
Both Bhupendra Yadav and Sushil Kumar Modi welcomed them into the party fold and said BJP would be strengthened with their induction especially at a time when Lok Sabha elections are underway.
Sushil Modi asserted that "Modi wave" in 2019 elections is much more stronger than what it was in 2014 and claimed that sab aaklan dhare rah jayenge" (all calculations may not have any meaning).
Modi said that the kind of importance party has attached to Singhs joining is evident from the fact that BJPs general secretary Bhupendra Yadav reached Patna by chartered flight for the special occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Mahachandra Prasad Singh, who had been an MLC for several terms, said that former CM and HAM(S) president Jitan Ram Manjhi has ditched him by not giving ticket from Maharajganj from where he was planning to contest.
All the seats in Grand Alliance have been given after bargaining (for money to allot seat to candidates) in the state. I would have also got ticket if I would have Rs 5 crore. I was offered ticket from Muzaffarpur but I turned down the offer as I do not want to indulge in such politics, Singh said.
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It is believed that the BJP has roped in Singh in order to assuage Bhumihar caste as they are feeling hurt on being given only three seats (Munger, Begusarai and Nawada) out of a total 40 Lok Sabha constituencies and could have created problems on some places including Maharajganj, whereas Rajputs, the other politically dominant caste among upper castes, bagged seven seats in the NDA.
Former Bihar Congress general secretary and spokesman Binod Sharma- who had resigned around a month ago on the issue of Congress demanding evidence of Balakot airstrike- said that he left the party with heavy heart as Congress president not only questioned the airstrike but also sought evidence of the strike, the act which he had termed as "shameful and childish".
BJP government not only talks, but also works in the national interest and has worked for all round development in the past five years, Sharma said.