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Congress Loses Jitin Prasada To The BJP

By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2021-06-10 06:19:26

Amidst the ongoing turmoil in Punjab and Rajasthan, the Congress received another jolt as prominent leader and once close friend and confidante of Rahul Gandhi, Jitin Prasada, broke three generations of ties with the party and joined the BJP. Although Prasada has not been in the thick of things in the party ever since Rahul Gandh had all but disbanded his old inner circle, was a signatory to the G-23 letter to Sonia Gandhi and had also flirted with the BJP two years back, his 'defection' took the Congress by surprise. The party accused him of following the politics of convenience while Prasada said that he joined the BJP as it was the only truly national party and he believed in the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.

For the BJP, Prasada's entry ahead of the polls in UP is being seen as a move to pacify the Brahmin lobby in the state that has been at odds with the state chief minister Yogi Adityanath who is from the Rajput (Thakur) community. Prasada is a prominent Brahmin leader and had held the Brahmin Chetna Samvad in the past to consolidate his position among the Brahmins. It needs to be remembered that Brahmins form about 10 percent of the population in UP and the BJP needs to have them in its corner. Caste alignments are very important in UP and with the BJP facing a tough election which it must win, all help is welcome.

Although it is unlikely that Prasada will be given any position of importance in the run up to the elections, by having him in its party the BJP will try to convince the Brahmins that their interests will not be ignored. Prasada, on the other hand, saw that with the Congress almost wiped off in UP, it was better to join the BJP and work his way up. As of now, neither the BJP nor Prasada gain anything substantial but it fits in with the BJP's policy of continuing to snare leaders from the Congress. As for the Congress, this is one more proof that the party is in drift and those at the helm are least interested in arresting the slide. 

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