BJP's veteran Madhya Pradesh leader Dhruv Pratap Singh, who was associated with the party since its inception, on Friday joined the Congress ahead of the Assembly polls slated for later this year, while raising questions over state BJP leadership's functioning

He ended nearly four decades of association with the party last week, stating that the BJP has now derailed from its principles. While joining hands with the Congress in the presence of its senior leaders Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh, and Govind Singh, Dhruv Pratap Singh, the ex-MLA from Vijayraghogarh in Katni district, claimed the present leadership has destroyed the BJP's organisation.

Dhruv Pratap Singh was sidelined for the last few years and had been raising his voice time and again but the party leadership paid him no heed. The reason, as he claimed, was Sanjay Pathak's shifting into the BJP in 2016. Singh had defeated Sanjay Pathak's father (late) Satyendra Pathak in the 1993 elections.

The political rivalry between Dhruv Pratap Singh and the Pathak family had been going on for the last several decades as both were in different parties. However, after Sanjay Pathak joined the BJP in 2016, he strengthened his position not only in Katni district but among the top leaders of the BJP as well and since then, Dhruv Pratap Singh was sidelined.

Pathak is also considered close to the state Home Minister Narottam Mishra and the duo had played a key role against the Kamal Nath-led Congress government, which was toppled due to the defection of 22 MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia in March 2020.

Dhruv Pratap Singh, while joining the Congress, called Sanjay Pathak "Duryodhan" and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan "Dhritarashtra".

Talking to the press at Congress headquarters, Singh said: " You all know Mahabharata's characters. Sanjay Pathak is Duryodhan and CM Chouhan acted like Dhritarashtra, while the state BJP head V. D. Sharma is busy living a lavish life, he has nothing to do with the organisation."

Sources told IANS that the Congress was lacking a strong candidate against Sanjay Pathak, which is why his long political rival was inducted into the party ahead of the assembly elections. Singh is likely to be fielded against Pathak.

However, MP BJP President Sharma told IANS that Dhruv Pratap Singh's joining the Congress would not affect the BJP as he has lost ground in Katni. "The Congress has inducted him in an attempt to build psychological pressure, but it's not going to help them in the upcoming Assembly elections." (IANS/NS)