Two days after resigning as the collector of Raipur, O P Choudhary, a 2005-batch IAS officer, joined the BJP in New Delhi on Tuesday in the presence of party president Amit Shah and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh. The Indian Express had last week reported that Choudhary is likely to join the BJP, and that the party could position him as a youth icon in Chhattisgarh, which is scheduled to go to the polls at the end of the year. In his tweet welcoming Choudhary to the party, Raman Singh today stated that he will serve as an "inspiration" to the youth. Stating that he joined politics to "serve the people", Choudhary told The Indian Express, "I come from a small village and had dreamed of becoming a civil servant. For thirteen years I served as much as I could, but my years as a collector were coming to an end. I could have continued to be in a ministry and given direction, but there are some obstacles in that role that prevent you from serving the people directly. I wanted to continue for my people and my land." Second, he said, "any political structure is important, and if that is good then you can set up good administrative structures". Choudhary said he picked the BJP because Prime Minister Narendra Modi provides leadership without any personal motive, and he wants to play a small role in India's "growth story". He said, "In the BJP's organisation, it does not matter if you are born somewhere, or who you know. The party structure is based on merit. In the 13 years I was a civil servant, I have seen Raman Singh, and how he has provided good governance to the last person. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a hero of mine." Choudhary, who comes from Bayang village in Raigarh district, was credited with the creation of the Education City in Jawanga, in Dantewada, which earned him the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration in 2013. He has also been credited with the creation of Nalanda Parisar, a first-of-its-kind learning centre in state capital Raipur. Asked about accusations that the BJP's ideology is lenient on Hindutva terror and lynchings, Choudhary said, "I strongly believe that anyone who breaks the law, action must be taken against them, under whatever section of IPC or any other law that applies. At the same time, I am also a big believer in Indian culture. There is no culture in the world that is more tolerant. Our culture has space for people who believe in idol worship, others who don't, people who don't believe in religion at all - everyone has a place in Indian culture."
