New Delhi/Chennai, Oct 12 (UNI) Film actress-turned-politician Kushboo Sundar resigned from Congress and joined the BJP on Monday expressing faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘’strong leadership’’ and complaining that some people in higher positions within the Congress were ‘’pushing and suppressing’’ genuine workers.

BJP General Secretary C T Ravi and Tamil Nadu Pradesh BJP president L P Murugan welcomed Ms Kushboo into the party fold. Along with her, Madan Ravichandran, a noted political journalist from Tamil Nadu and former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sarvanan Kumaran also joined the BJP.

Immediately after she joined the BJP, the Congress dropped her as the Party spokesperson with ‘’immediate effect’’.

'Ms Kushboo Sundar is hereby dropped as AICC Spokesperson with immediate effect,’’ a statement by AICC secretary in charge for communications, Pranab Jha, said.

Expressing faith in the strong leadership of Prime Minister Modi she said, 'It is a matter of luck that we have the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the countrymen believe that under his leadership, the country is safe and on the path of progress,' Kushboo said after joining the BJP.

Pledging to work hard to win the BJP in Tamil Nadu elections next year. she said that from now on she is a fully dedicated worker of the BJP and whatever responsibility the party entrusted her with, she would fulfill with full devotion.

Ms Kushboo Sundar, who is famous as Khushboo, is a well-known name in the South Indian cine world. Apart from Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, she has also acted in more than 200 films in Hindi and Bhojpuri.

She entered politics in 2010 and joined the DMK. She later joined the Congress in 2014 where she was made the spokesperson.

In her resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Ms Kushboo said some higher ups within the Congress who had no connection with ground realities, were dictating terms to the people who wanted to work sincerely for the party.

‘’Few elements seated at higher levels within the Party, people who have no connectivity with the ground reality or public recognition, are dictating terms and people like me who wanted to work for the Party sincerely, are being pushed and suppressed,’’ she said in the letter.

She said she had always taken great pride in representing the Congress Party on different platforms in most trying situations.

Kushboo said she came into the Congress fold at a time when the party was at its lowest being defeated in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

‘’I did not walk into the Party for any monetary gains, name or fame…I, after a long thorough thought process over a period of time, have decided to end my association with the Party,’’ she said in her letter.

Ms Kushboo, who left Chennai for New Delhi on Sunday night, did not speak with the media. When asked about reports whether she was still with the Congress or was joining the BJP, she had merely said 'no comments'.

Reacting to Kushboo's decision, TNCC president K S Alagiri said it would not cause any loss to the party.

Reports that Ms Kushboo would join the BJP had been doing the rounds for quite some time in Chennai, especially after she had welcomed the BJP government's National Education Policy (NEP) and apologised to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for differing with the Party stand.

She was once an arch critic of the BJP and criticised some of the decisions of the central government.

She also participated in the demonstration held by the Congress party last week in protest against the three Farm Bills.

UNI AR/GV/RSA RB SB 1656