Ex-minister Birender Singh, wife, quit BJP, to follow son into Congress

April 08, 2024 18:18

Courtesy: @ChBirenderSingh on X

Former Union minister Birender Singh on Monday said he has quit the BJP and will join the Congress, the move coming almost a month after his son Brijendra Singh joined the grand old party.

His wife Prem Lata Singh -- a former BJP MLA from Haryana -- also quit the party.

"I have resigned from the primary membership of the BJP and sent my resignation to party chief JP Nadda. My wife, Prem Lata, who was an MLA from 2014-2019, has also quit the party. Tomorrow (Tuesday), we will join the Congress," Birender Singh (78), a prominent political figure in Haryana, told reporters in Delhi.

After quitting the BJP, Birender Singh also met Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Delhi.

Birender Singh joined the BJP nearly 10 years ago after an over four-decade stint with the Congress.

After his son joined the Congress on March 10, there was speculation that Birender Singh would follow suit.

Birender Singh was Union steel minister in the first government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also held charge as minister of rural development, Panchayati Raj, and drinking water and sanitation.

During the agitation against the now-repealed farm laws, Birender Singh had extended his support to the farmers.

Birender Singh -- who also served as a minister in the Congress government led by Hooda in Haryana -- is the grandson of Sir Chhotu Ram, considered as a "messiah of farmers".

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