Former Union Minister Birender Singh, wife join Congress

Former Union Minister Birender Singh and ex-MLA wife Prem Lata join Congress in Delhi after resigning from BJP.

Former Union Minister Birender Singh along with his ex-MLA wife Prem Lata on April 9 joined the Congress in Delhi. Union Steel Minister in the previous Modi Government, Mr. Singh, and his wife resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on April 8.

Mr. Singh had told The Hindu that he and his wife, a former MLA, will join the Congress along with many supporters. “I had already announced [our decision] to quit the BJP in case they continued to have an alliance with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP). Though the alliance fell apart two days after my son and Hisar MP Brijendra Singh resigned and joined the Congress, the decision was already made and could not be reversed,” Mr. Singh said over phone.

He said that he had been very vocal on issues, including the farmers’ agitation against the three farms laws, the wrestlers’ protest, and the Agniveer Scheme, and these too were among the reasons for his decision to quit the BJP.

Mr. Singh, at a rally in Haryana’s Jind on October 2, 2023, had threatened to quit the BJP over its alliance with the JJP in the State, and advised the saffron party to go solo in the elections.