Dalit leader Udit Raj joins BJP

Dalit leader Udit Raj Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here.

Welcoming Udit Raj in the party, party president Rajnath Singh said the BJP believes that the last man on the ladder should be the first to be lifted out of poverty and claimed that economic and other disparities had increased under the Congress rule.

Udit Raj said there was "no achievement" of the United Progressive Alliance government when it came to improving the condition of Dalits and tribals. He also said the Bahujan Samaj Party had done little to help expand opportunities for the Dalits in the government and the private sector. 

Rajnath Singh said Udit Raj had been made a member of the party's national executive. BJP sources said Udit Raj may be fielded in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. They said his joining the party ahead of elections would help the party expand its support among the weaker sections.