Ghulam Nabi Azad, AICC general secretary in-charge of UP, described the development as an indicator of 'changing times' which signifies that the future will belong to the Congress.
The Congress got a significant boost in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday with around 100 former BSP leaders joining the party along with senior leaders like Naseemuddin Siddiqui and four former ministers of Mayawati's cabinet. The Congress was in a situation after the emphatic BJP victories in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, AICC general secretary in-charge of UP, described the development as an indicator of 'changing times' which signifies that the future will belong to the Congress.
Azad, however, claimed that the entry of so many BSP leaders would not have any impact on the grand alliance that opposition parties are trying to form for 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
"This will not impact the formation of Mahagathbandhan as most leaders who joined today had already been expelled by Mayawati and the rest of them had left the party," Azad said.
He also said that despite Mayawati poaching their sitting MLAs, he had approached her for Mahagathbandhan, but she did not agree to it. He cited example of Samajwadi Party and Congress forming an alliance during UP's "kurukshetra" despite being at loggerheads.
Considered to be the right hand of Mayawati and BSP's strong Muslim face, Naseemuddin was expelled from the party in May last year for anti-party activities resulting in BSP's poor show in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
Naseemuddin who was in regular touch with Congress President Rahul Gandhi, joined the Congress along with thousands of supporters at AICC headquarters in New Delhi.
The other important leaders among the 24 ex-minister/ ex-MLA/ex-MLC include two times MLA and ex-minister from Sultanpur O P Singh, Dalit leader and ex-minister Raghunath Prasad Shankwar, ex-minister Liyakat Ali and ex-minister Achechelal Nishad from the fishing community.
Last month, disgruntled BJP MP from Maharashtra Nana Patole had returned to the Congress. He had joined the BJP ahead of the 2014 general elections.
Fumbling thrice by saying BSP in place of Congress, Naseemuddin blamed it for his 34 year long association with the party. He announced that the Rashtriya Bahujan Morcha (RBM), which he had floated after getting expelled from the BSP, has been merged with the Congress.
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