Chhattisgarh: Tribal chief Nand Kumar Sai joins Congress, says sturdy dedication to surrender BJP

By PTI

RAIPUR: A day after resigning from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), veteran tribal chief Nand Kumar Sai on Monday joined the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh the place the Assembly polls due this year-end.

Addressing mediapersons after changing into a member of the Congress, Sai said it was a tough dedication for him to surrender the BJP and claimed it was not the event that it was as soon as “during the time of Atal ji and Advani ji.”

Sai submitted his resignation to state BJP president Arun Sao on Sunday and claimed his colleagues had been hatching conspiracies and levelling false allegations to tarnish his image, which had left him deeply injury.

The 77-year-old chief, a former three-term Lok Sabha member and three-time MLA, served as a result of the BJP’s state president in every Chhattisgarh and undivided Madhya Pradesh beforehand and has considerable have an effect on in tribal-dominated parts of Surguja division (northern Chhattisgarh).

He joined the Congress on Monday inside the presence of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the event’s state chief Mohan Markam and ministers at Rajiv Bhawan, the event state headquarters proper right here.

Chhattisgarh: Tribal chief Nand Kumar Sai joins Congress after quitting BJP !

A day after quitting the BJP, veteran tribal chief Nand Kumar Sai on Monday joined the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh. Former two-time Lok Sabha MP and three-time MLA, served as a result of the BJP’s state… pic.twitter.com/sgVFhvoEKP

— Vijay Thottathil (@vijaythottathil) May 1, 2023

Sai said, “The BJP’s form has changed. It was a tough decision of my life (to quit the BJP) as I was associated with it since the Jana Sangh time. I have worked with Atal ji (former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee), Advani ji, Sushma Swaraj ji and other senior leaders and followed them.”

“The party is no longer in that form which it used to be during the time of Atal ji and Advani ji. The circumstances seem to have changed,” he claimed.

Sai said sooner than quitting, he was not holding anywhere inside the BJP and was an irregular worker.

“I don’t want any post. Even if they don’t give a post in the party, they can at least ask how party affairs should be operationalised. I did not have any problem with the party. The party is not important, but the important thing is that everyone (party members) should work together for the common people,” he said.

“I decided to join the Congress as it has been doing good work under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel ji,” Sai said.

In Baghel authorities, efforts are being made for the uplift of poor, backward, tribals and all sections,” he added.

When reporters requested former state chief minister and senior BJP chief Raman Singh if the event would endure a loss, he said every time a senior worker quits, the organisation faces a loss.

“The party has always respected Sai. He was the Lok Sabha member. He was also sent to the Rajya Sabha. He also became chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST). Even after that he has taken such a decision,” Singh said.

“He (Sai) is a senior leader and he knows everything about politics. I express my best wishes to him for joining the new team,” Singh said.

Sai, a distinguished tribal face of the event who hails from north Chhattisgarh, was first elected as a result of the Janata Party MLA in 1977 from Tapkara seat (now in Jashpur district) in Madhya Pradesh.

In 1980, he was elected as BJP’s Raigarh district unit chief.

He was elected as a result of the BJP MLA from Tapkara in 1985 and 1998.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Raigarh in 1989, 1996 and 2004 and the Rajya Sabha in 2009 and 2010.

Sai was Chhattisgarh BJP president from 2003-05 and MP BJP chief from 1997 to 2000.

He was first chief of opposition inside the Chhattisgarh Assembly after the state was carved out from MP in November 2000.

Sai was appointed as a result of the NCST chairperson in 2017.

He was close to late BJP chief Lakhiram Agarwal and the duo had carried out a significant perform inside the establishment of the saffron event’s foothold in Chhattisgarh.

When the Assembly elections had been held for the first time in Chhattisgarh in 2003, Sai decided to contest in opposition to then Chief Minister Ajit Jogi from Marwahi seat as an alternative of his standard seat Tapkara.

Though Sai tasted defeat, the BJP usual then authorities inside the state.

Sai has sometimes grabbed limelight for criticising quite a few choices of the sooner 15-year-long Raman Singh-led BJP authorities inside the state.

RAIPUR: A day after resigning from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), veteran tribal chief Nand Kumar Sai on Monday joined the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh the place the Assembly polls due this year-end.

Addressing mediapersons after changing into a member of the Congress, Sai said it was a tough dedication for him to surrender the BJP and claimed it was not the event that it was as soon as “during the time of Atal ji and Advani ji.”

Sai submitted his resignation to state BJP president Arun Sao on Sunday and claimed his colleagues had been hatching conspiracies and levelling false allegations to tarnish his image, which had left him deeply injury.googletag.cmd.push(carry out() googletag.present(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

The 77-year-old chief, a former three-term Lok Sabha member and three-time MLA, served as a result of the BJP’s state president in every Chhattisgarh and undivided Madhya Pradesh beforehand and has considerable have an effect on in tribal-dominated parts of Surguja division (northern Chhattisgarh).

He joined the Congress on Monday inside the presence of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the event’s state chief Mohan Markam and ministers at Rajiv Bhawan, the event state headquarters proper right here.

Chhattisgarh: Tribal chief Nand Kumar Sai joins Congress after quitting BJP !
A day after quitting the BJP, veteran tribal chief Nand Kumar Sai on Monday joined the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh. Former two-time Lok Sabha MP and three-time MLA, served as a result of the BJP’s state… pic.twitter.com/sgVFhvoEKP
— Vijay Thottathil (@vijaythottathil) May 1, 2023
Sai said, “The BJP’s form has changed. It was a tough decision of my life (to quit the BJP) as I was associated with it since the Jana Sangh time. I have worked with Atal ji (former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee), Advani ji, Sushma Swaraj ji and other senior leaders and followed them.”

“The party is no longer in that form which it used to be during the time of Atal ji and Advani ji. The circumstances seem to have changed,” he claimed.

Sai said sooner than quitting, he was not holding anywhere inside the BJP and was an irregular worker.

“I don’t want any post. Even if they don’t give a post in the party, they can at least ask how party affairs should be operationalised. I did not have any problem with the party. The party is not important, but the important thing is that everyone (party members) should work together for the common people,” he said.

“I decided to join the Congress as it has been doing good work under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel ji,” Sai said.

In Baghel authorities, efforts are being made for the uplift of poor, backward, tribals and all sections,” he added.

When reporters requested former state chief minister and senior BJP chief Raman Singh if the event would endure a loss, he said every time a senior worker quits, the organisation faces a loss.

“The party has always respected Sai. He was the Lok Sabha member. He was also sent to the Rajya Sabha. He also became chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST). Even after that he has taken such a decision,” Singh said.

“He (Sai) is a senior leader and he knows everything about politics. I express my best wishes to him for joining the new team,” Singh said.

Sai, a distinguished tribal face of the event who hails from north Chhattisgarh, was first elected as a result of the Janata Party MLA in 1977 from Tapkara seat (now in Jashpur district) in Madhya Pradesh.

In 1980, he was elected as BJP’s Raigarh district unit chief.

He was elected as a result of the BJP MLA from Tapkara in 1985 and 1998.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Raigarh in 1989, 1996 and 2004 and the Rajya Sabha in 2009 and 2010.

Sai was Chhattisgarh BJP president from 2003-05 and MP BJP chief from 1997 to 2000.

He was first chief of opposition inside the Chhattisgarh Assembly after the state was carved out from MP in November 2000.

Sai was appointed as a result of the NCST chairperson in 2017.

He was close to late BJP chief Lakhiram Agarwal and the duo had carried out a significant perform inside the establishment of the saffron event’s foothold in Chhattisgarh.

When the Assembly elections had been held for the first time in Chhattisgarh in 2003, Sai decided to contest in opposition to then Chief Minister Ajit Jogi from Marwahi seat as an alternative of his standard seat Tapkara.

Though Sai tasted defeat, the BJP usual then authorities inside the state.

Sai has sometimes grabbed limelight for criticising quite a few choices of the sooner 15-year-long Raman Singh-led BJP authorities inside the state.