THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, September 6: Rajendra Pal Gautam, a former Delhi Minister and Aam Admi Party’s (AAP) sitting MLA, joined the Congress on Friday in New Delhi. His decision followed his resignation from AAP, stating his desire to further the fight for social justice.
He officially joined the Congress at the AICC headquarters, where general secretary KC Venugopal, Delhi party chief Devender Yadav, and Congress media publicity head Pawan Khera were present.
Inspired by Rahul Gandhi
Upon joining the Congress, he mentioned that, in the face of growing religious tensions over the past decade, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s slogan, “Main nafrat ke baazar mein mohabbat ki dukaan kholne aaya hoon” (I have come to open a shop of love in the marketplace of hatred), deeply resonated with him.
“Unfortunately, we can see a rise in religious and caste frenzy in the last 10 years. Riots are breaking out and Dalits, backwards and minorities are being oppressed. At such a time, Rahul Gandhi gave a slogan during Bharat Jodo Yatra – Main nafrat ke baazar mein mohabbat ki dukaan kholne aaya hoon. That slogan touched my heart,” Gautam said.
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Gautam emphasizes need for social justice
He emphasized the need to protect the Constitution and advance social justice, asserting that every community should receive representation proportional to their population.
“My struggle has always been that everyone should get their representation and honour. He (Arvind Kejriwal) gave me the opportunity and I became an MLA twice. I express gratitude to him for this but my fight is somewhere else – on the issue of social justice, on caste-based census, on representation, AAP maintains silence on these issues. It hurt me,” he stated.
Earlier, Gautam shared his resignation on the social media platform X, stating in Hindi, “In order to accelerate the struggle for social justice and participation and involvement of Bahujan Samaj in all fields, I am resigning from all the posts and membership of the Aam Aadmi Party. Jai Bheem!”
Gautam resigned as social welfare minister in Oct 2022
Gautam resigned as the social welfare minister in October 2022 after his controversial comments about Hindu deities sparked a political controversy. He previously served as the Minister for Water, Tourism, Culture, Arts, Languages, and Gurudwara Elections in the Delhi government, and represents the Seemapuri Assembly constituency in the Delhi Legislative Assembly.
The elections for the 70-member Delhi Assembly are expected to take place early next year.
