India / Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sibal should exit Cong, join BJP: Ramdas Athawale

New Delhi: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has suggested that senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal should resign from the Congress party and join the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Athawale said that the NDA government in the Centre will keep returning to power and that since veteran Congress leaders like Sibal, Azad and others have been accused of colluding with the BJP, they should submit their resignation just like Jyotiraditya Scindia did and join the BJP.

"There is a controversy over the post of Congress chief. Rahul Gandhi has accused Sibal, Azad of working on BJP's behalf. Therefore, I request Sibal, Azad to resign from Congress. They have spent many years expanding the Congress, but they should exit the party and join BJP now," Athawale told ANI here.

"If they are being disrespected there they should leave just like Jyotiraditya Scindia did, even Sachin Pilot did so but he reached a compromise. Rahul Gandhi is wrong in blaming people who built the Congress," he added.

Athawale said that the BJP led NDA would stay in power for many more years, and expressed the hope that it will win over 350 seats in the next general elections.

"BJP is the party of the masses today, people of all castes, sects, and religion are joining BJP. It will win keep winning in the coming elections and eradicate Congress," the Union minister of state for Social Justice said.

Sibal and Azad were among the 23 big leaders from Congress who had written to interim president Sonia Gandhi for sweeping changes in the party.

Later defending the letter, Azad had said it was no big deal if their letter got leaked and asked if action should not be taken for "indiscipline" against leaders who targeted them.

Azad also said that party leader Rahul Gandhi initially had issues with the letter which was discussed during the stormy meeting of Congress Working Committee held last month.