Gujarat Youth Congress, NSUI workers to join BJP

AHMEDABAD: "Thousands" of members of Gujarat Youth Congress and NSUI would be joining BJP tomorrow in the presence of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the saffron party said on Wednesday.

"Thousands of NSUI and Youth Congress workers and leaders are leaving the Congress to join BJP here tomorrow where Chief Minister Narendra Modi is going to welcome them," former Deputy Chief Minister Narhari Amin told PTI.

"A special function is being held on S G Highway here where all NSUI and Youth Congress members will be officially inducted into BJP by Modi," Amin, who himself quit Congress to join BJP before the December Assembly elections, said.

Yesterday, Hardik Dodia, one of the national delegates of National Students' Union of India (NSUI), was suspended from the Congress-promoted organisation for `anti-party activities'. Dodia would be prominent among those who would be joining BJP tomorrow. However, NSUI leader Indravijaysinh Jadeja brushed aside the claim that thousands were leaving.

"Out of 27 district NSUI presidents and youth Congress heads in 26 Lok Sabha constituencies not a single leader is leaving the organisation. These claims are baseless," he said.

National Secretary of NSUI and in-charge of Gujarat Leni Jadhav alleged that Dodia and some of his friends were under the influence of BJP leaders who were with Congress before. "Dodia and a few of his friends are under the influence of leaders like Narhari Amin who left the party and now are in BJP," she told PTI.

Former Congress MP and an influential Patel community leader Vithhal Radadia and his MLA son too recently quit Congress to join BJP. Vithhal Radadia is now contesting Porbandar Lok Sabha by-elections as BJP candidate while the son Jayesh has been nominated by the party for Jetpur Assembly seat. Bypolls are scheduled for June 2.