Self-interest drove Meena to board sinking ship: Cong

The Rajasthan Congress Sunday termed NPP MLA Kirori Lal Meena’s re-joining the ruling BJP ahead of assembly elections due later this year as “selfish coalition.”

Leader of Opposition Rameshwar Dudi said that while BJP is under pressure following the political gains being made by the Congress, Meena “in his self interest” left the NPP and “boarded a sinking ship”.

“It would have been better had Meena raised the issues plaguing the farmers and the youth. But, for a Rajya Sabha seat, he once again cheated his associates, friends and the community. Congress shares a strong bond with the tribals and now no drama of BJP will misguide them,” said Dudi.

Hours after Meena joined the BJP along with two other party MLAs, including his wife, BJP named him one of the candidate for elections to Rajya Sabha in rajasthan.

Dudi alleged that in the last four years, Meena criticized chief minister Vaundhara Raje and also spoke of forming a third front. “The day’s development, however, shows that he moved around the state as BJP agent to weaken farmers’ unity.”

Meanwhile, former union minister Jitendra Singh said that Meena’s “ghar wapsi” into the BJP will have no impact in the state politics.

“Congratulations to him for his ghar wapsi. We gauged his political base in the last assembly elections when Meena community displayed their annoyance. In the recent bypolls to the Alwar Lok Sabha seat, Meena and his team worked for the BJP candidate but even then the Congress candidate won. In fact, the Congress candidate secured highest lead of 50,000 votes in Rajgarh. Meenas are the traditional voters of the Congress,” Singh said.

Rajasthan Congress vice-president Archana Sharma told IANS that “no permutation and combination in the state can help the BJP win in the ensuing elections. We will win the elections with a big margin”.

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