Disappointed by his party’s questioning of integrity of the armed forces, Congress National Spokesperson Joins BJP

In a major embarrassment for the Congress, its national spokesperson and former national general secretary Tom Vadakkan quit the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday. Shri Vadakkan joined the BJP at its head office in Delhi in the presence of national leaders including Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Welcoming into the party, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad expressed confidence that his entry into the party would strengthen it.

Speaking to media, Tom Vadakkan said, “After the attack by Pakistani terrorists on our land, reaction from the party was sad. I am deeply hurt and that’s why I am precisely here. It’s not about ideology, it’s about love for the nation. I had no other option other than to leave the Congress,” Vadakkan said. He also added that he believed in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development narrative.

Shri Vadakkan said that he left the Congress party with a heavy heart. “I was hurt at the situation within the Congress where it was not clear that who was the power centre,” he added.

A prominent Congress leader from Kerala, Tom Vadakkan was considered a close aide of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. He joined the BJP at a time when Congress president Rahul Gandhi is in Kerala ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the state.

Apparently criticising the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, he said, “The use and throw culture in Congress is just not acceptable for a self-respecting worker like me and that’s why I am here.”

Working with the Congress for nearly two decades, Shri Vadakkan was in charge of the party’s media strategy for several years.