Congress lacks a strong leader like PM Modi: Padmaja Venugopal

Former Congress leader from Kerala Padmaja Venugopal joined BJP on Thursday. Pic/PTI

Padmaja Venugopal, the daughter of Congress stalwart and former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran, said on Friday that the Congress lacks a strong leader like Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Padmaja, who joined the BJP on Thursday received a grand welcome at Thiruvananthapuram airport by BJP leaders and party workers, including state president K Surendran, reported news wire PTI.

Padmaja later said at a press conference that it pained her to leave the Congress, but she was not ready to put up any longer with the "insults" she has been suffering. She said people have been asking her why she joined BJP as she had stood strong with the Congress despite facing problems from within the party.

As per PTI report, Padmaja said that after seeing Prime Minister Modi's style of functioning for some time, I realised that every party needs a strong leader. The Congress does not have any such strong leaders. She said that when she recently went to the Congress's headquarters in Delhi, she found that Sonia Gandhi does not meet anyone. Rahul Gandhi has no time and most of the senior leaders have left (the party).

"During the elections, I was not included in any committees, four-to-five people within the party were working to chase me out of Thrissur and create problems for me everywhere else and when I complained about it, the party leadership did not take it seriously, which hurt me," Padmaja said.

Padmaja officially joined the BJP at a function held at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday. While the BJP suggested that it marked the decline of the grand old party, the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala sought to capitalise on the development by suggesting that it could erode trust in the Congress.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan questioned whether there was any guarantee that Congress leaders when voted to power would remain with it and not join the BJP.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran termed Padmaja's decision as "cheating and betraying" the party and a "breach of confidence".

(With PTI inputs)