In Narendra Modi I have seen a strong leadership, which is lacking in Rahul Gandhi: P Sudhakar Reddy
Former Congress leader P Sudhakar Reddy from Telangana on Sunday joined the BJP in the presence of party president Amit Shah.
After joining the party, he told ANI: "I have officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party today. Tomorrow, I will take part in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Hyderabad."
Earlier in the day, Mr Reddy had met Prime Minister Modi here and had expressed his desire to join the BJP.
He also submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister, requesting him to take up execution, maintenance, rehabilitation, and resettlement, planning of Polavaram project, initiate and execute Bayyaram and Kadapa steel plants in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh among other demands.
"I have been with the Congress party for last 40 years and have served at various positions including in NSUI, and IYC. I have been humiliated several times on the party forum but I continued to work as a disciplined worker of the party," said P Sudhakar Reddy.
"But due to the failure of local leadership in Telangana, I was badly defeated in the last elections. The parliamentary elections are going on under their leadership again," said Mr Reddy.
"The politics in Congress is now commercialised as the middlemen have increased and sincere workers are sidelined. The voice is not reaching up to the leadership in the Congress," he added.
"I have brought it to the notice but no remedies were made," said Mr Reddy.
He also alleged the Congress has seen Pulwama terrorist attack in the light of politics which is unfortunate.
"I was deeply hurt by the politics on Pulwama terror attack in which our brave soldiers died. On the matter of national security, there should be no politics. In Narendra Modi I have seen a strong leadership, which is lacking in Rahul Gandhi," he said.
In the memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister, he has requested him to take up execution, maintenance, rehabilitation, and resettlement, planning of Polavaram project, initiate and execute Bayyaram and Kadapa steel plants in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh among other demands.
The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls are set to begin on April 11 and will end on May 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.