MP Congress leader says BJP poaching their leaders in state; ruling party calls it frustration

PTI, Feb 24, 2024, 11:30 AM IST

A former minister from Madhya Pradesh has alleged that the BJP has instructed its leaders in every district of the state to poach Congressmen, a charge attributed by the ruling party to “sheer frustration”.

Senior Congress leader and former member of Parliament from Dewas Sajjan Singh Verma made the claim while addressing a party meeting in Ratlam on Friday.

In a video of the address that has surfaced on social media, Varma can be seen telling his party men, “BJP has deployed one representative in every district (to ensure defection by Congress leaders). Be it sarpanch, panch or any other leader of the Congress (make them defect).” Varma is considered a staunch supporter of former MP chief minister Kamal Nath. Recently, there was intense speculation that Nath would be crossing over to the BJP. At the same time, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya had asserted that his party’s doors were closed for Nath.

Mentioning Vijayvargiya’s statement, Verma said, “Your doors are infested with termites and it will be evident in the coming elections. The BJP members should understand that the loyalty of my grassroots Congress workers runs deeper.” When asked about Verma’s statements, state BJP spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi said it was due to “sheer frustration”.

“Such statements by Sajjan Singh Verma are natural, given the plight of Congress now. We can understand their state of mind. Crores of the BJP workers are serving the people across the country,” he said.

Chaturvedi said that those who wanted to join the BJP to serve people are welcome but it is up to the saffron party to decide their entry.