Why did Congress veteran RPN Singh quit the party and join BJP?

 

A political analyst while talking about the exodus of the Gen-next from Congress remarked "ideological fidelity is an oxymoron."  Over a period of time, a host of Congress leaders, who once strutted around flaunting the badge of "secularism" have switched over to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which they once described as "the party which practises politics of hate." 

After Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasad, another Gandhi loyalist, RPN Singh quit the Congress to join the BJP. Singh's shifting allegiance apparently was being viewed as a personal jolt to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi. Incidentally, RPN Singh's name also featured in the Congress' star campaigner list released 48 hours back. 

If RPN's entry came as a major boost for the BJP, it has put a huge question mark on the style of functioning within the Congress. There are whispers and murmurs in the Congress corridor that the clan-Sonia-Rahul-Priyanka was "not letting the Gen-next grow in the party." All eyes are now on Rajasthan Congress leader, Sachin Pilot.

RPN Singh, who was one of the AICC office bearers, in-charge of Jharkhand was apparently feeling "stifled" within the organisation "for quite some time", a Congress leader said. It was revealed that the relationship between RPN Singh and the Gandhis started souring after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's move to revoke the special status for Jammu and Kashmir. It was claimed that RPN Singh, Scindia, Prasada were against the Congress attacking the Centre over the issue. The Gen-Next felt that Modi's decision was "in keeping with the public mood."  The young Turks also felt that Rahul Gandhi's relentless attack on the Prime Minister was "damaging the party."

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