Former Haryana Congress leaders Kiran Choudhry and her daughter Shruti Choudhry and their supporters joined the BJP on Wednesday, June 19. The move comes ahead of the state general elections this year.
Both Kiran and Shruti Choudhry resigned from the Congress on Tuesday, accusing the state of being nothing more than a “personal empire” in homage to former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Kiran Choudhry, daughter-in-law of former Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal, is the sitting MLA from Tosham in Bhiwani district. Shruti Choudhry, a former Member of Parliament, was the president of the Haryana Congress unit.
In a joint press conference with BJP leaders, Kiran Choudhry said, “Now I am also dyed in the color of saffron. This color was also the color of Choudhary Bansi Lal.
“She urged her supporters to take up the BJP flag and try to ensure a big victory for the BJP in the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. “We merged the Haryana Vikas party with the Congress 20 years ago. Today I call upon you to take up the BJP flag, leaving behind the Congress flag, and march forward till the last moment to ensure a big victory for the BJP in the Haryana Assembly elections for the third consecutive term,” she said, in a message sent to her supporters who had thronged to witness the induction ceremony.
“Our work begins today. Take the name Choudhary Bansi Lal and start working on BJP politics, greet BJP top leadership, visit all corners of Haryana. It is a true tribute to Choudhary Bansi Lal and Choudhary Surendra Singh,” she added.
Kiran Choudhry joined the BJP in the presence of Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, party general secretary Tarun Chugh and the Chief Minister of Haryana Nayab Singh, Saini and other leaders of the party’s headquarters.
Kiran Choudhry expressed her admiration for the work of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that he has secured a mandate for a third consecutive term, ensuring BJP leaders work as “basic workers” to strengthen the party in Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
Kiran Choudhry said that she joined BJP because he was inspired by the work of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the people of the country gave him; after reviewing his work, he was given the mandate for a third straight term. “The people have once again forced him to fulfill his resolve to make India a developed country by 2047,” she said.
She assured BJP leaders that he and his daughter Shruti will work as “grassroots workers” to strengthen the party in Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi. “We are ready,” she added. Shruti Choudhry cited BJP’s policies and Prime Minister Modi’s “historic decisions” over the past decade as her motivation to join the party.
Welcoming the Choudhry’s to the BJP, Tarun Chugh Bansi acknowledged the important contribution of the Lal family to the Congress in North India.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini assured them respect and support in the party. With Kiran and Shruti Choudhry joining the BJP, several relatives of the three famous “Lal’s” of Haryana (Devi Lal, Bhajan Lal and Bansi Lal) are now part of the saffron party.
Ever since Haryana was created as a separate state in 1966, its politics revolved around three famous ‘Lalis’ – Devi Lal, Bhajan Lal and Bansi Lal – for about three decades. Former Deputy Chief Minister Devi Lal’s son Ranjit Singh Chautala, who joined the BJP about three months ago, is also the brother of INLD leader and former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala.
Ranjit Singh Chautala (78) resigned as an independent MLA in March, giving up his membership in the Rania segment of Sirsa district and joining the BJP, which had ousted him from the Hisari seat in the recent Lok Sabha elections. However, he lost the seat to Congress.
