Former BJP leader and former Karnataka deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi joined the Congress party on Friday. He had quit the saffron party after he was denied a ticket to contest in the assembly polls, scheduled for May 10.
After joining the Congress, Savadi said he was done with his previous party. He further said after his death, his dead body should not be taken in front of the saffron party office.
The former BJP leader said despite the political differences, when he approached the Congress leaders about joining the party, he was welcomed with open arms.
Lashing out at his former party, he said the BJP isn't following its principles, and there is only power politics. "The older BJP is nowhere to be seen, they want to be in power at any cost. We have to strengthen the Congress party," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.
The BJP, meanwhile, said Savadi switching over to the grand old party is not a setback for the saffron party.
“There is no setback for BJP. Laxman Savadi lost the MLA election, if he was such a big leader, why was he defeated? The fact that he has left the party is a concern for him, not for us (BJP). Congress will soon show him his place” BJP national general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh told ANI.
He said whoever leaves the BJP won't be able to come back to the party in the next 10 to 20 years.
Singh said the BJP gave several opportunities to Savadi, but despite that, he left the party for his personal decision, and dubbed the move a "wrong decision."
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said he was "saddened" by Savadi's decision to part ways with the BJP and join the Congress.
"...I'm feeling very sad, we shared a close bond. Sometimes such political situations arise," Bommai said. "He might have found his political future in the Congress. We will do our job in our party," he added.