Headlines
Gamang, son formally join BJP in Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar, June 18
Former Odisha Chief
Minister Giridhar Gamang and his son Sishir Gamang on Thursday formally
joined the BJP at the state party headquarters here in the presence of
central ministers and Odisha leaders.
The veteran tribal leader was earlier associated with the Congress for nearly 43 years.
He
shot to fame when his single vote led to the defeat of the then Atal
Bihari Vajpayee government during the confidence motion in parliament in
1999.
Bharatiya Janata Party national secretary Ramlal, union
Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra
Pradhan, state BJP chief K.V. Singhdeo and in charge of the party's
state affairs Arun Singh welcomed the veteran tribal leader into the BJP
fold.
Gamang and his son were offered BJP caps by Singhdeo and
later the duo gave missed calls from their cell phones to become primary
members of the saffron party.
"I formally joined the BJP today
(Thursday). I don't desire any post in the new party and will not
request the national leadership for any portfolio in the cabinet. But I
will certainly accept whatever (responsibility) the party will assign
me," Gamang told IANS.
The nine-time Congress MP from Koraput
quit the party last month after accusing it of "humiliating" him. He met
BJP national president Amit Shah in New Delhi on June 12.
Meanwhile,
the party on Thursday held a meeting of all candidates in the 2014
general and legislative assembly elections to prepare a road map to
strengthen the BJP base in the coastal state.
The state BJP decided to take forward its 'Mahasampark Abhiyan' (public contact programme) to the grass-roots level.
"The
BJP will reach out to each and everyone who has registered for its
membership in the state. Besides, we plan to launch agitation against
the failures of the Navin Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal government in the
state and to tell public about the achievements of the Narendra Modi
government at the centre," said state party spokesperson Sameer Mohanty.