Opportunist leaders don't stick to one place: Azad on Rita Bahuguna

New Delhi [India], Oct. 20 (ANI): Rejecting the allegations levelled by Rita Bahuguna Joshi, the former Congress Uttar Pradesh president who joined the BJP on Thursday, as "excuses", Congress general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said the fact is that she knew that she won't be able to win election this time and she tried to secure a safe seat with the Congress and when she didn't get it, she moved out of the party - "opportunist leaders don't stick to one place". "All these are excuses of Rita ji, as the person who leaves an organisation abuses it (gaali); but the reality is that she knew it that she won't be able to win election this time and she tried to secure a safe seat with the Congress and when she didn't get it, she moved out of the party," the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge for Utter Pradesh Affairs, Azad, told ANI. "Her opponent this time is Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's younger brother's wife and that is why she (Rita Bahuguna) was looking for a safe seat since long, because she thought that she won't win. That safe seat she searched in the SP, BSP, and now went to the BJP," said Azad, who is also the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha. Stating that "opportunist leaders don't stick to one place", Azad added: "She was in the Congress; then went to the SP; and now she is in the BJP. Where will she go tomorrow? This is opportunism. So, her allegations were her excuses to move out of the Congress, whereas in reality she is not in a position to win a seat in the upcoming elections, because her opponent is very strong." She has been negotiating with various political parties in since long, and she stuck a deal with a party and joined it, Azad claimed. "Her father was famous nation-wide for his secular credentials and fought against the communal forces, and if today his daughter joins a communal political party, it is painful," he added. Addressing journalists after joining the BJP at its headquarters here today, disgruntled Rita Bahuguna Joshi said, "Today, I resigned from the Congress Party and joined the BJP. It was not an easy decision to take, but I took it for the betterment of the nation and the state after a long consideration. My political career has been of 27 years thus far, of which I spent 24 years with the Congress Party and for 10 months with the Samajwadi Party. I worked for the Congress with full dedication and honesty for 24 years," she said while addressing journalists after joining the BJP at its headquarters here. "I am unhappy with incidents that took place in the past few days. Our country is struggling with terrorism and in this direction the Narendra Modi government took a very decisive decision when he gave a freehand to the India Army to cross the Line of Control (LoC), which included the will to accept any results that would have emerged out of the surgical strike, though the result was good," she said. "This happened for the first time and the success that we got was not only an achievement for the army but also for the government. When the whole world accepted that we carried out surgical strikes, I didn't like the way the Congress and other parties questioned it. Words like 'Khoon ki dalali' were used that saddened me," Joshi added. "Prashant Kishor could be a poll manager, but he certainly is not the poll director. But, unfortunately, the entire direction and leadership of the election has been given into his hands. How long we have to walk, when we will stand and sit, all these things were told to us a day before, despite the fact that leaders are grass-roots workers. Nothing could be more unfortunate than handing over the party on contract (to Prashant Kishor)," she said, adding that even senior leaders of the Congress are unable to put across their point in the party. Sonia Gandhi understands the organisation; she used to listen to us irrespective of whatever decision she took; but, in the leadership of Rahulji even this is not possible (to get your point across). The people of Uttar Pradesh are not ready to accept his leadership so as the whole country. Even senior Congress leaders are not happy with him. However, the fact is that Rahul Gandhi was unable to provide the kind of leadership that a national party like the Congress needs. The people have rejected his leadership," she alleged, adding that only the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi could bring about development in Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)