Rich Praise For PM Modi From Jyotiraditya Scindia As He Joins BJP

Jyotiraditya Scindia, on joining the BJP this afternoon, said the Congress, his party of 18 years, was "no longer the party it used to be". The country's future is "totally secure" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hands, said the four-time MP and former minister.

"I consider myself lucky that I have got a platform to serve the nation. I thank the Prime Minister. No other government has ever won a mandate like PM Modi did, not once but twice, in this country's history. The PM's ability to work, using that mandate in a proactive way, and the way he has brought international repute to India, and the way he has implemented schemes, I believe the country is safe in his hands," said the former Congress leader, who had very recently attacked the BJP over the violence in Delhi.

Stating that he had left the Congress with a heavy heart, Mr Scindia ascribed his big switch to two important days in his life, both associated with his father Madhavrao Scindia, a senior Congress leader. One, the day he died in a plane crash on September 30, 2001, and the second was yesterday - his 75th birth anniversary.

"I was hurt and distressed as I was not able to serve the people in my previous organization," Mr Scindia, 49, said, addressing his first press conference as a BJP leader.

"My aim has always been to serve people and politics is only a means to fulfil that. It is no longer possible to achieve that goal with the Congress," said the one-time close Rahul Gandhi aide.

"My respected father, and in the last 18-19 years, whatever time I got, we have done all that we could for the Congress," he added.

He said the Congress had come to power in Madhya Pradesh with great aspirations and hope riding on the party.

"The dream we saw for Madhya Pradesh has been shattered in 18 months," said Mr Scindia.