Delhi MP Udit Raj joins Congress, calls BJP anti-Dalit

New Delhi, April 24 Dumped by the BJP, Delhi MP Udit Raj on Wednesday joined the Congress and alleged that he was denied a ticket for the Lok Sabha battle because the BJP was anti-Dalit and because he took a stand contrary to BJP's line on many issues.

The North West Delhi MP switched sides a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded singer Hans Raj Hans in the reserved seat which Udit Raj represented in the Lok Sabha.

Addressing a press conference at the party office after joining the Congress, Udit Raj said: "The BJP carried out internal surveys by various agencies of all the seven seats in Delhi, and out of the seven Lok Sabha constituencies the only positive feedback came from my seat.

"But I was denied a ticket as I took a stand on 14-15 issues against the party line, because I was not deaf and dumb. I took a stand on the SC/ST Act and supported the Bharat Bandh called last year."

Udit Raj thanked Congress President Rahul Gandhi for accepting him into the party fold.

Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala slammed the BJP and listed several past incidents like attacks on Dalits in Una in Gujarat and the suicide of Hyderabad scholar Rohit Vemula to show the ruling party's bias against the community.

"Udit Raj will now strengthen the hands of Rahulji," said Surjewala.

AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal said more Dalit leaders would join the Congress.

Udit Raj claimed that on May 20, 2014, now President Ram Nath Kovind met him with his bio-data.

"BJP SC/ST Morcha leader Vivek Sonkar is a witness to that meeting. He (Kovind) had asked me to help him get a proper position in the party."

"Kovind also wanted to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. However, he was made the President as he remained silent. If I too had remained silent, they (BJP) would have made me the Prime Minister some day."

Udit Raj said that he had been wanting to join the Congress since 2012-13 and Rahul Gandhi knew about this.

"The BJP is an anti-Dalit party and they don't want the upliftment of Dalits... The BJP keeps harping that everyone gets an opportunity in the party but in reality this is not so."

Delhi Congress chief and three-time Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said Udit Raj's joining the party would help it win all the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital.