New Delhi, Nov 18 (UNI) Former Delhi Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Kailash Gahlot on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here a day after he had resigned from the AAP.
He joined the party in the presence of Senior BJP Leader and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, party’s National Vice President Baijayant Panda, and Delhi BJP Chief Virendra Sachdeva, among other party leaders.
Speaking at the event, Khattar said, “Today, Delhi’s former minister Kailash Gahlot has joined the BJP. This is a turning point in Delhi’s politics as a senior minister of the Delhi Government has joined the BJP…I am sure that you must have seen the work of PM Modi and BJP before taking the decision to join BJP. I welcome you to the party”.
‘This is not an easy step for me. I was a part of the AAP since the time of Anna Hazare (the anti-corruption activist whose popular movement birthed the AAP) and have worked for Delhi throughout as MLA and Ninister,” Gahlot said in his first comments after joining the BJP.
“Some may think this is an overnight decision… or due to pressure. But I want to tell them I haven’t ever taken any decision due to pressure,” he told reporters, firmly rejecting speculation the move was the result of “pressure” from investigative agencies.
On Sunday, in his resignation letter to AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Gahlot said that the party faces grave challenges and alleged that political ambitions have overtaken the party’s commitments towards the people which has left many promises unfulfilled.
