Tamil Nadu: C Rajagopalachari's Great-Grandson CR Kesavan Joins BJP; Had Quit Congress In February

In a major political development, CR Kesavan, the great-grandson of India's last Governor-General C Rajagopalachari, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi today (8 April).

He joined the party in the presence of Union Minister VK Singh and BJP chief spokesperson Anil Baluni.

Kesavan, who was earlier associated with the Congress and often represented the party in television debates, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his people-centric policies, corruption-free governance, and inclusive approach.

Further, he said that national security had been given primacy and that India's history and traditions were being celebrated with various events, referring to the recent Kashi-Tamil Sangamam.

He added that he was thankful to the party for inducting him on a day PM Modi is visiting Tamil Nadu.

In his resignation letter addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, he had written “I am truly sad to say that for a while now I have not seen any vestiges of the values that made me work for the party with dedication for over two decades. I can no longer in good conscience say that I concur with what the party presently symbolises.”

Kesavan's entry into the BJP, coming just after the induction of Anil Antony (son of former Defence Minster AK Antony) and former Andhra chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is being seen as a significant move to strengthen the party's presence in southern India.

(With inputs from PTI)

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