Jumping Boat: Purandeswari to join BJP

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, March 6, 2014: Accusing the Congress leadership of snubbing her and doing injustice to Seemandhra while dividing the state, former union minister of state for commerce and industry, D Purandewari on Thursday announced she was ready to join BJP.  

Purandeswari also said she will be meeting, BJP president, Rajnath Singh, other senior party leaders, Advani, Arun Jaitely and Sushma Swaraj in Delhi on Friday to express her willingness to join the saffron party.

 She held a meeting in Vizag on Thursday with her close aides, supporters and followers to share her views on quitting the Congress and future course of action.

“At one point of time, I wanted to quit politics due to the way Congress humiliated me. But my family, well wishers and supporters persuaded me to continue and then decided to quit Congress. Not even a single suggestion of either mine or my other cabinet colleagues from Seemandhra was considered by the Congress led union government. I’m deeply hurt. Even inclusion of villages that are to be submerged due to Polavaram project, into successor state was done only due to the pressure from BJP leaders like Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley in Rajyasabha. Our suggestions were just ignored in Loksabha while passing AP Reorganisation Bill,” said an aggrieved Purandheswari.

She said Seemandhra union ministers along with her met the GoM overseeing the state’s bifurcation many times and submitted their views and suggestions, which were ignored.

Purandewari further said it was painful to leave Congress, but she could not continue in the party due to the humiliation caused by the party bosses.

 The MP also dropped enough hints that she is not going to leave Vizag. “Given a chance I will contest from Vizag. But there are no conditions from my side to join BJP,” she added.

 She alleged that Congress has clandestine understanding with TRS in Telangana and YSRC in Seemandhra and never bothered about the future of its own leaders from this region.  

“Congress is confident of support from YSRC and TRS. Congress has clandestine understanding with both the regional parties and put future of many leaders like us from Seemandhra at stake. Congress has acted in a unilateral manner in dividing the state,” Purandheswari added.

Purandewari, in January wrote a letter to AICC state affairs in charge, Digvijay Singh expressing displeasure over allegedly asking her to contest from any other seat than Vizag in the forthcoming general polls.

However, Subbarami Reddy, who was elected to Rajyasabha third time and also the loksabha ticket aspirant from Vizag earlier said that since Purandeswari was interested in contesting from Vizag, party central leadership decided to nominate him to the upper house of the parliament.