Manvendra Singh, son of former Union minister Jaswant Singh, has announced that he would be joining the Indian National Congress soon.
According to media reports, there is no clarity yet on when will he officially join the Congress, though he has confirmed his plan.
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In September, Manvendra Singh quit the Bharatiya Janata Party after the ‘Swabhimaan Rally’ held in Rajasthan’s Barmer district.
Announcing his decision to quit the BJP, Singh had clarified that he would continue to contest polls from his constituency.
“I will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from home,” he said, referring to the Barmer-Jaisalmer parliamentary constituency which has been represented by his father in the past.
At a public meeting, dubbed ‘swabhiman’ (self-respect) rally, in September, he had referred to the party’s lotus symbol and said associating with it had been a “big mistake”.
“Kamal ka phool, badi bhool,” he had said.
Singh had said the ‘swabhiman’ mission began in 2014 when his father Jaswant Singh was denied party ticket in the Lok Sabha polls.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then the Gujarat Chief Minister, had called him up saying he was not present at the meeting where that decision was taken.
Manvendra Singh said Modi had then asked him to remain patient. “But the limit of my patience is now over,” he said at the well-attended rally.
He said those who had supported the family in 2014 had faced hardships, and this had now become an issue of self-respect.
Singh said two people from Delhi and one from Jaipur were responsible for his father not getting the party’s nomination in 2014.
The MLA said he had told the PM and party chief Amit Shah about the situation in the state. He referred to the police encounters in which alleged criminals Anandpal and Chatur Singh were killed, leading to resentment in their Rajput community.
Singh concluded his address by chanting, “Kamal ka phool, badi bhool”. His supporters shouted “Kamal ka phool, hamari bhool (Picking Lotus, our mistake).”
His wife Chitra Singh called upon the people to vote out the Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan the coming assembly elections.
(With agency inputs)
