Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Wednesday welcomed her nephew Jyotiraditya Scindia's decision to join the BJP and praised him for his "strength of character and courage". Ms Raje, a senior BJP leader, tweeted Mr Scindia and said it is good to be on the "same team".
"If Rajmata Sahab (Mr Scindia's grandmother Vijaya Raje Scindia) was here today, she would be elated to see you put the nation first. I admire your strength of character and courage. It's good to be on the same team. Welcome to the BJP," Vasundhara Raje said.
Vasundhara Raje, 65, is the sister of Jyotiraditya Scindia's father Madhavrao Scindia, who died in a plane crash in 2001. Political affiliations have split the Scindias, a royal family from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, right down the middle.
The family matriarch and the mother of Vasundhara Raje, Vijayaraje Scindia, was a founder leader of the ruling BJP. Vasundhara Raje's son Dushyant is also a BJP lawmaker. Madhavrao Scindia, a former minister, was a senior Congress leader.
Mr Scindia, who was considered to be close to Rahul Gandhi, announced his resignation from the Congress on Tuesday, minutes after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah. Soon, 21 MLAs, apparently loyal to Mr Scindia, also resigned from the state assembly, endangering the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh.
Mr Scindia today joined the BJP in the presence of party chief JP Nadda.
"Congress is no longer what it used to be, it is living in denial," Mr Scindia said after his induction into the BJP with the party's saffron scarf. He also thanked the PM and Amit Shah for "welcoming me into their family".
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