Veteran BJP Leader Birender Singh Quits Party, Joins Congress With Family

In a significant political development, former Union Minister Birender Singh has announced his resignation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and his decision to join the Indian National Congress. Singh, a prominent BJP leader in Haryana, made the announcement at a press conference in Delhi, accompanied by his wife Prem Lata, who also resigned from the BJP.

 The move comes almost a month after Birender Singh's son, Brijendra Singh, resigned from his Lok Sabha seat and the BJP, and joined the Congress party. Brijendra, a former IAS officer, had cited "compelling political reasons" for his decision to switch sides.

Addressing the media, Birender Singh stated, "I have resigned from the primary membership of the BJP and sent my resignation to party chief J P Nadda. My wife Prem Lata, who remained MLA from 2014-2019, has also quit the party. Tomorrow, we will join the Congress."

Birender Singh had joined the BJP nearly a decade ago, after being associated with the Congress for over four decades. His resignation from the Upper House in 2020 was linked to Brijendra's election as the Hisar MP.

The father-son duo had often opposed the BJP's stance on various issues in the past, including their support for protesting farmers against the now-repealed farm laws and their backing for wrestlers who demonstrated against the former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, a BJP MP, over allegations of sexual harassment. The Hisar MP, Brijendra, had also cited the BJP's decision to ally with the Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) as one of the reasons for his exit from the party. 

With the Haryana Assembly elections scheduled for May 25, this high-profile defection from the BJP to the Congress is likely to have significant implications for the political landscape in the state.