Key Sonia Gandhi aide Tom Vadakkan joins BJP

In a big embarrassment to Congress just ahead of Lok Sabha elections starting next month, Congress leader and a close aide of Sonia Gandhi, Tom Vadakkan, joined BJP today and attacked the grand old party for questioning Balakot air strike. Vadakkan was the Congress party member for nearly 20 years. He joined the saffron party at a time when Congress president Rahul Gandhi is in Kerala to review the preparations for the Lok Sabha polls in the state. BJP may field Vadakkan in the Lok Sabha elections from a seat in Kerala.

"I was hurt at the situation within the Congress where it was not clear that who was the power centre," Vadakkan
said after quitting Congress. In an apparent attack on Rahul Gandhi, he said he gave the party 20 years of his life but it has now resorted to a practise of "use and throw".



"I gave my prime of life to the Congress. But dynastic politics is now at its zenith in the party... There's no place in it for self-respecting people," he said.

He also attacked Congress party's stand on the Pulwama terror attack and Indian Air Force air strikes in Balakot.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his development work, Vadakkan said: "I left Congress party because when Pakistani terrorists attacked our land, my party's reaction to it was sad, it hurt me deeply. If a political party takes such a position that is against the country then I'm left with no option but to leave the party."

He joined the BJP at the party head quarter in Delhi in presence of Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

(Inputs from PTI)