Kiran Choudhury and daughter join BJP ahead of Haryana Assembly elections

NEW DELHI: Former Haryana Congress leader Kiran Choudhury and her daughter Shruti Choudhury along with their supporters joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday, a move ahead of the state assembly elections due later this year.

Kiran and Shruti Chowdhury resigned as senior members of the Indian National Congress on Tuesday, alleging that the party’s state unit was being run as a “private fief”, in an apparent reference to former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Kiran Chowdhury is the daughter-in-law of former Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal and the current Member of Parliament from Tosham in Bhiwani district. Shruti Chowdhury is the current President of the Haryana unit of the Indian National Congress.

“Today, I too am painted in saffron. But these colours were also Chaudhary Bansi Lal’s colour. We merged the Haryana Vikas Party into the Indian National Congress 20 years ago. Today, I call on you to let go of the Indian National Congress flag, take up the BJP flag and push forward till the last moment to ensure that the BJP wins a landslide victory for a third consecutive term in the Haryana Assembly elections,” Kiran Choudhary said in a message to her supporters who had gathered in large numbers to watch the induction ceremony, at a joint press conference with BJP leaders after joining the party.

“Our work begins from today. We will take on the name of Chaudhry Bansi Lal, work on BJP policies, praise top BJP leaders and visit every nook and corner of Haryana. This will be our true tribute to Chaudhry Bansi Lal and Chaudhry Surendra Singh,” she added.

The two joined the BJP at the party headquarters here in the presence of Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, party national general secretary Tarun Chugh, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and other senior leaders.

Kiran Choudhury said she joined the BJP after being impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s work, pointing out that the people had seen his work and given him the confidence to be the Chief Minister for three consecutive terms.

“The people have once again given him the responsibility to fulfil the resolve to make India a developed country by 2047,” she said.

She assured BJP leaders that she and her daughter Shruti would work like “grassroots activists” to strengthen the party in Haryana, the western state of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

“I am ready,” she added. Shruti Choudhary said she joined the BJP because she was impressed by its policies and the “historic decisions” taken by Prime Minister Modi in his last decade in power.