AAP MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam jumps ship, joins Congress

New Delhi, Sep 6 (PTI) Former Delhi minister and AAP MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam joined the Congress here on Friday.

He joined the party at the AICC headquarters in the presence of general secretary KC Venugopal, party's Delhi chief Devender Yadav and Congress' media publicity department head Pawan Khera.

"It's a proud moment for us as Shri Rajendra Pal Gautam joins the Congress party," Venugopal said at a press conference.

"The Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra have given a new narrative to the country, and now the country is also accepting it with full might. Attracted by the Congress programs under the leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, he has decided to join the Congress " Venugopal said of Gautam.

Earlier in the day, Gautam said in a post in Hindi on X, "I am resigning from the membership and all posts of AAP in order to accelerate the struggle for social justice and participation of the Bahujan Samaj in all sectors." Gautam resigned as social welfare minister in October 2022 after he kicked off a political storm over his alleged remarks against Hindu deities.

He is a former Minister for Water, Tourist, Culture, Arts and Languages and Gurudwara Elections in the Government of Delhi, and represents Seemapuri Assembly constituency in the Delhi Legislative Assembly.

Elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly are due early next year. PTI

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