Months ahead of the Assembly polls in Gujarat, former Congress leader Hardik Patel, who quit the grand old party last month, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today, saying he would work as a soldier in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s army.

Patel, who shot into prominence in July 2015 by leading a Patidar reservation movement joined the BJP in the presence of party state chief CR Patil at the party headquarters in Gandhinagar.

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Addressing a press conference after joining the BJP, Hardik Patel said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CM Bhupendra Patel, party chief JP Nadda and state president CR Patil are working hard in the interest of the nation.

“I am joining the party as a sepoy in Narendrabhai’s army, just as a squirrel contributed to the construction of Ramsetu. I am ready to accept whatever responsibility the party gives me. This is my homecoming. My father used to help Anandiben, the former Chief Minister of Gujarat, as much as he could and serve the BJP,” he said.

“I had also asked the Congress for the role of a soldier in the party, but that did not happen. It may have been the first time that someone resigned to become a soldier,” he added.

Earlier today, Patel in a tweet said, “With the feelings of national interest, state interest, public interest, and social interest, I am going to start a new chapter from today. I will work as a small soldier in the noble work of service to the nation under the leadership of the successful Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.”

On May 18, Patel resigned from the Congress and stated that Gujarat Congress leaders were least bothered to address real issues of the state but were more focussed on ensuring that the leaders who come from Delhi to Gujarat get a “chicken sandwich” on time.

In the recent past, senior leaders–Kapil Sibal and Sunil Jakhar had also resigned from the Congress.

On May 25, Kapil Sibal, senior leader and a prominent face of the G-23 group of Congress dissidents, filed nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha as an independent candidate with the Samajwadi Party’s support after announcing that he had quit the grand old party on 16 May.

Former president of the Punjab Congress Sunil Jakhar joined the BJP on May 19.