Colonel Vijay Rawat (Retd), brother of late Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Dehradun on Wednesday in the presence of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni. Rawat’s induction into the saffron party came just days ahead of the Assembly elections due on February 14.
Talking to media, Rawat said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision on development had inspired him to join the BJP.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision is out-of-the-box. His thoughts about the development of the country inspire us to join BJP,” he said.
Rawat said that his father, also a former army officer, was associated with the BJP and expressed happiness at working for the party.
“My father was with BJP after retiring and now I've gotten a chance", he said.
Welcoming Rawat into the BJP, Dhami said the party had always respected soldiers. "Late CDS Bipin Rawat wanted to work for Uttarakhand. We are glad that Vijay Rawat, his brother is here to take forward his ideology,” he said.
It’s not clear whether the BJP will field Rawat in any of the seats in Uttarakhand.
General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat, along with 12 others, were killed in a helicopter accident in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor on December 8.