New Delhi: Former Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson and national president of the party’s legal wing, Gaurav Bhatia, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday.
Bhatia had quit the party on 5 February, before the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, saying he would not compromise on the principles he believed in by remaining with the SP.
One of the popular faces of the party on television debates, Bhatia said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah had inspired him to join the BJP.
“The SP was moving away from the ideals of Ram Manohar Lohia. There is no value of loyalty and sincerity and it has been surrendered to dynastic politics,” said the Supreme Court lawyer, who joined the BJP in the presence of party national secretary Bhupendra Yadav and national general secretary Arun Singh.
The SP was reduced to 47 of the 403 assembly seats while the BJP secured 312 seats in the recently concluded UP assembly election.
PTI contributed to this story.
