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This is an archive article published on July 15, 1999

Five Hundred RJP men join Congress

VADODARA, July 14: Nearly 500 Rashtriya Janata Party RJP members from Vadodara city and district formally joined the Congress here on W...

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VADODARA, July 14: Nearly 500 Rashtriya Janata Party RJP members from Vadodara city and district formally joined the Congress here on Wednesday.

Among those who joined included former mayors Dr Rajendrasinh Rathore, Hemchandra Bochare, former chairman of Gujarat Tourism Development Corporation GTDC and councillor Shankerrao Tandlekar. With this the strength of the Congress in the Vadodara Municipal Corporation VMC has gone up to 18 in the 78-member board.

Speaking on the occasion, city Congress president Aswhin Shah alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP was trying to make political capital by using the Lahore bus trip and the Kargil issue. While the Lahore trip was to woo the Muslims, the Kargil was to make further dent among the Hindu votebank, he further alleged.

Shah said that the BJP fears to say that the intelligence sources did not have information on hand about infiltrators entering the Indian territories. 8220;Today8217;s success is only that of the armed forces,8221; he said, recalling that during the Congress rule Indian troops had captured Pakistani territories. 8220;Now the battle is going on in the Indian territory,8221; he added.

The RJP members who have joined the Congress as primary members would be given due respect, he said, urging them to take the merger seriously. 8220;Do not think that you have joined because Shankersinh Vaghela has told so,8221; he added.

In his address, Bochare said that the members had joined the Congress unconditionally. 8220;Our aim is to defeat the BJP,8221; he said, further adding that those who have joined would prove to be an asset and not a liability.Among those who remained present at the function included former MP Manubhai Patel, councillors Chirag Zhaveri and Kanchan Parmar. They were also exhorted to raise funds for the Kargil martyrs8217; families.

 

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