Ex-babus Uttam Khobragade, Kishor Gajbhiye join Congress

Two former IAS officers, Uttam Khobragade and Kishor Gajbhiye, on Friday joined the Congress after meeting party President Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.

Khobragade’s daughter Devyani, who is a diplomat, was mired in controversy in 2014 for underpaying her domestic help in the US. She was charged with visa fraud and making false statements about the employment of her domestic help. She was the Deputy Consul in New York at the time.

Before joining the Congress, Uttam Khobragade was the Executive President of the Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India, while Kishor Gajbhiye was with the Bahujan Samaj Party, led by Mayawati. 

Khobragade is responsible for bringing together the SC/ST associations of Maharashtra government organizations under one federation called the Bahujan Karmachari Sangh. Khobragade was the MD of BEST, and he retired in 2011.

“The Congress will benefit from this,” said a senior Congress leader who did not want to be named. “Both of them have good clout over the Dalit community, and that will be a plus point for the Congress during 2019 elections,” said a party leader on the condition of anonymity.