Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao has defended the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) decision to allow the entry of leaders from different political parties, including those under investigation by Central security agencies, ahead of the Lok Sabha 2024 elections. Sao emphasized that the party’s ideology would not be compromised for any individual, despite the Opposition’s accusations of using coercive tactics to co-opt political opponents.
The BJP has set itself the ambitious target of winning 370 seats in the upcoming elections, an increase of 67 from its current tally of 303. According to estimates, the party has granted tickets to 34 candidates who joined just before the polls. The Opposition has alleged that the BJP is misusing Central agencies to frame Opposition leaders and subsequently dropping charges against them when they join the party.
Vehemently denying these charges, Sao, who recently stepped down as the head of the Chhattisgarh BJP, stated that the Opposition’s claims of corruption against these leaders should be questioned. He pointed out that they were not labeled as corrupt when they were members of Opposition parties. If they were indeed corrupt, he asked, why weren’t they expelled from those parties?
Sao clarified that charges have only been dropped in cases where there was insufficient evidence to support them. He asserted that the BJP does not need to resort to such tactics, unlike the Congress, which has been accused of using agencies against its political opponents in the past.
Sao underlined that the BJP is the only political party driven by an ideology, which dictates the policies of its governments both at the Centre and in the States. He cited the example of the abrogation of Article 370, which has been on the Jan Sangh’s (the BJP’s predecessor) agenda since 1952.
He added that individuals who join the BJP embrace its ideology, and their entry will not change or dilute it. The party will not alter its ideology or aims based on anyone’s entry or exit.
Among the 34 candidates from other parties who have joined the BJP, 16 were from the Congress, eight from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, two each from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the YSR Congress, and one each from the Biju Janata Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party, Telugu Desam Party, Trinamool Congress, and an independent candidate.
