Shukla shifts to Congress

A lone Rajya Sabha member from the Loktantrik Congress Party and a member of the NDA coordination committee, Rajeev Shukla, today joined the...

A lone Rajya Sabha member from the Loktantrik Congress Party and a member of the NDA coordination committee, Rajeev Shukla, today joined the Congress stating that only Congress could come to power at the Centre ‘‘single-handedly.’’ ‘‘In a coalition, sometimes it is difficult for the Government to take tough decisions,’’ he said. Refusing to specify if he meant the NDA coalition, he said, ‘‘I believe that only Congress can get majority in general elections single-handedly.’’

‘‘I have always wanted to join a national party and I have always been close to the party leadership,’’ Shukla confided. He had met party president Sonia Gandhi in the morning, before joining the party.

Welcoming him into the party, political secretary to the Congress president, Ahmed Patel said: ‘‘We are sure that Rajiv Shukla’s joining the party would strengthen Congress.’’

Giving his reasons for joining the Congress he said, ‘‘I am disgusted with rising communalism, casteism and regionalism in the country. I see Congress as the only true nationalist party which can confront these evils and lead the country to the path of peace and development,’’ Shukla said. Satish Sharma, a former minister in UP from Loktantrik Congress, also joined the party. Shukla said talks were on to bring in more leaders from the Loktantrik Congress, including the Lok Sabha MP, Chandra Vijay Singh.

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