Former Congress spokesperson Rohan Gupta on Thursday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), further underscoring a trend of prominent opposition figures defecting to the ruling party ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Gupta didn't mince words as he criticized his former party, alleging a loss of direction and credibility due to its departure from traditional stances on issues like nationalism and Sanatan Dharma.
Gupta hits out at Jairam Ramesh
His latest decision comes days after he declined the Congress's offer to contest from the Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha seat, a stronghold of the BJP. Gupta pointed fingers at his "constant humiliation and character assassination by a leader associated with the communication department" of the Congress, evidently targeting Jairam Ramesh, the party's general secretary.
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Gupta on Congress' Sanatan Dharma stance
In an exclusive interview with India TV, Gupta divulged his disillusionment with his former party and shared some key information, shedding light on the internal dynamics of Congress. He also made serious allegations against Jairam Ramesh, saying his way of functioning was one of the major reasons behind quitting the party. "The leader who has 'Ram' in his name asked them to keep quiet when Sanatan Dharma was being insulted. The party's narrative became pure leftist since Jairam took over the charge of the communication department," Gupta claimed.
'Congress is run by Left lobby'
Speaking further Gupta alleged that the Congress has gravitated to the Left and said that Ramesh is solely responsible for the party's anti-Ram Mandir stance. "Several Congress leaders wanted to visit Ram Temple on Pran Pratishtha...We were asked not to attend any debate on Ram Mandir...We were instructed to take an anti-Ram Mandir stance... The party is being run by the Left lobby, and the party's communication head is responsible for it" he added.
On party's lack of coherent narrative
Gupta also went on to criticised the Congress party's lack of a coherent narrative, pointing to the contradiction between Rahul Gandhi's accusations against Gautam Adani and the party's signing of Memorandums of Understanding with his companies in states like Rajasthan and Telangana. "On one side you are abusing an industrialist and on the other hand, you are signing MoUs with his companies...what it shows? The party was not at all clear in its narratives," the former spokesperson alleged.
Gupta hails BJP's 'Viksit Bharat' agenda
It should be mentioned here that Gupta has expressed his support to the BJP leadership's agenda of a "Viksit Bharat" by 2047 and lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision. Gupta had resigned from the Congress last month after withdrawing his candidature from Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha constituency. Several Congress leaders have joined the BJP in the recent past including Milind Deora, Ashok Chavan, Gourav Vallabh and Naveen Jindal.
