Pappu Yadav said the Congress leadership gave him respect
Jan Adhikar Party leader Pappu Yadav joined the Congress on Wednesday and announced the merger of his outfit.
A former five-time MP from Bihar, Yadav is the husband of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan and is known for having influence in Seemanchal area of the eastern state.
He was accompanied by his son Sarthak Ranjan and other party leaders as he announced his decision at the AICC headquarters.
Yadav said the Congress leadership gave him respect and he was joining the party's fight against "dictatorship" in the country to help save democracy and the Constitution.
"The honour that the entire Congress family has given is enough for us. Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have given us a lot of love.
"If anyone has won the hearts of people in India, it is Rahul Gandhi and people love him. He has also raised the concerns of OBCs by raising the issue of holding a caste census," he said.
"To save this country and its democracy and protect the Constitution, there was no other way except joining Rahul Gandhi's fight," he said.
Mohan Prakash, in-charge of Congress affairs in Bihar, was also present.
"We will win the 2024 Lok Sabha and certainly 2025 assembly elections. I thank my national president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
"I will struggle to strengthen the Congress and work with all my might in this regard," Yadav also said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)