Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Friday termed as “bullshit” news reports that former MP Jitin Prasada was joining the BJP.
Some news outlets on Friday afternoon claimed Jitin, considered a close aide of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, would be joining the BJP despite getting a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Dhaurahra in Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi where he levelled major corruption allegations against the BJP, Surjewala refuted the reports of Jitin joining the BJP. Surjewala affirmed his long-standing relationship with Jitin and referring to the reports, he declared, “I don't want to use this word, but I think it (news of Jitin joining BJP) is bullshit”.
Jitin, the son of late Congress vice president Jitendra Prasada, started his political career with the Youth Congress. Jitin won his first Lok Sabha election in 2004, winning the constituency of Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. In 2009, Jitin won from Dhaurahra constituency after the effect of delimitation in Shahjahanpur.
Jitin served as minister of state in the Manmohan Singh governments of 2004-2014, overseeing different portfolios at various points of time. The portfolios he handled as Union minister were petroleum and natural gas, road transport and highways, human resource development and steel.
Jitin lost the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Dhaurahra to Rekha Verma of the BJP. Jitin contested the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls in 2017 when the Congress had tied up with the Samajwadi Party. However, he lost from Tilhar constituency to Roshan Lal Verma of the BJP.
On March 15, Congress spokesman Tom Vadakkan joined the BJP, declaring he opposed the grand old party's stance on the Balakot air strike. Gandhi declared Vadakkan was not “big leader”.
