In a major jolt to the INDIA bloc in Madhya Pradesh, five Congress leaders, including former union minister Suresh Pachouri and ex-MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi, quit the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday. Former MLAs Sanjay Shukla, Arjun Paliya, and Vishal Patel were among the leaders of the grand old party who also joined the ruling outfit.

The five former Congress leaders joined the BJP in the presence of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav, state BJP president V D Sharma, and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the party’s state headquarters.

According to Pachouri, who was once close to the Gandhi family, the Congress has “alienated itself from its principles and policies”.

“It has alienated itself from the public and is unable to establish a relationship,” he said while addressing the media.

Notably, Pachouri also served as a four-time Rajya Sabha member of the grand old party. Earlier, he also held several key positions in the Congress, including the post of the party’s Madhya Pradesh unit president, and the state unit president of the Youth Congress.

Welcoming the former union minister to the ruling party, state BJP chief VD Sharma said: “Someone who does clean politics, who is considered a ‘saint’ in the politics of Madhya Pradesh has joined the BJP today. He has expressed confidence in them (party leaders). He has said that he wants to work for the country, without any conditions…He said that those who questioned the Army, who declined the invitation to the (Pran Pratishtha of) Ram Temple need to be given a reply to…I welcome him to the party.”

BJP hits out at Congress

BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan blamed Congress’ “lack of leadership” for the latest big-name exits ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

“It seems Rahul Gandhi will breathe easy only after finishing off the Congress. It will be in line with what Mahatma Gandhi suggested the Congress should do. All good leaders in Congress are fed up with the party’s rudderless and directionless state. The Congress appears to be on the verge of extinction,” he told the media.

(With inputs from agencies)