BJP veteran Tiwari joins Cong in Jaipur

Our Correspondent

Jaipur, March 26

Ghanshyam Tiwari, a hardliner RSS and six-time former BJP MLA, today joined Congress in the presence of its president Rahul Gandhi who had come to address the “Shakti booth-level workers” at Ramlila Ground here.

Besides Tiwari, 12 Independent MLAs of the current legislative assembly, Jaipur Municipal Corporation Mayor Vishnu Dutt Lahta who won the election with the Congress party’s councillors, Janardan Singh Gehlot with MoS status in the previous Raje government and former BSP leader Dungarram Gaider also joined the party at the event.

Twelve MLAs accorded associate membership are: Rajkumar Gaur, Rameela Khadia, Kantilal Meena, Rakesh Meena, Laxman Meena, Sanyam Lodha, Babulal Nagar, Khushveer Meena, Baljeet Yadav, Suresh Tank, Mahadev Singh Khandela and Alok Beniwal.

In the House of 200 MLAs, the Congress has 100 MLAs and one supported MLA of RLP.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the Modi government’s ruling could be adjudged by joining of Tiwari who devoted his 50 years in Jansangh, RSS and BJP and supported Rahul’s policies. “No one had ever imagined that Tiwari would join the Congress and it was because of the Modi government’s misrule,” he added.