Former Indian Air Force Chief Rakesh Singh Bhadauria (retd) and YSR Congress Party’s Varaprasad Rao joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

The two joined the party in the presence of BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde and Union Minister Anurag Thakur.

Bhadauria, who retired from service in September 2021, thanked the party leadership for giving him the opportunity to “contribute to nation-building once again”.

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“I served the IAF for more than four decades, but the best time of my service was the last 8 years under the leadership of the BJP government. The tough steps taken by this government to empower and modernise our armed forces and make them self-reliant have not only given rise to a new capability in the forces but also given them a new confidence,” he said.

“The results of the self-reliant move by the government can be seen on the ground. From the point of view of security, the steps being taken by the government are very important and will take India to new heights globally”, he added.

A Rajput face, Bhadauria was born in Korath village of Bah Tehsil in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. He joined the service as a Wing Commander in 1999 and retired as an Air Force Chief in 2021.

Welcoming Bhadauria, Tawde lauded his extensive service in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and expressed confidence that he will now contribute actively in the political field after playing an active role in the defence forces.

Besides Bhadauria, former YSR Congress Party MP Rao also joined the BJP, and hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “dynamic” leader.

“In my whole career as a politician, I have not come across anyone as dynamic as PM Modi. When I was an MP from 2014-19, I saw his dynamic decisions. I have admired how the BJP has been cleansing the system of ills and working towards development. I have been very much impressed with the development of villages and the upliftment of the weaker sections of the society,” he said.

Welcoming the two into party fold, Thakur noted: “A prosperous, safe and a developed India is possible only under the leadership of Narendra Modi. The decades-old demand of our soldiers for ‘One Rank, One Pension’ was fulfilled by Narendra Modi.”

He said that it was this government that fulfilled the demand for ‘One Rank, One Pension’ of armed forces veterans, scrapped Article 370, and boosted the country’s internal security.