Actor Shekhar Suman, ex-Congress leader Radhika Khera join BJP
What's the story
Actor and TV personality Shekhar Suman and former Congress leader Radhika Khera, on Tuesday, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party at its headquarters in New Delhi.
Khera, the former national coordinator of the Congress's media department, resigned from the party's primary membership on Sunday—days after her altercation with another leader at the party's Chhattisgarh office.
Meanwhile, for Suman, this will be the second stint in politics after he resigned from the Congress in 2012.
Resignation
Khera's big charge against Congress, day after quitting
A day after she resigned from the Congress, Khera claimed on Monday that despite her repeated alerts to the party's top leadership about mistreatment within the Chhattisgarh unit, she received no assistance.
Khera—who has vowed to expose the "male chauvinistic mindset" within the party—said she had notified Sachin Pilot, Jairam Ramesh, Bhupesh Baghel, and Pawan Khera, among other senior Congress figures, about the disrespectful conduct of Sushil Anand Shukla, the chairperson of the Chhattisgarh unit's communication wing.
Statement
'Was instructed not to visit Ram Temple'
She also took a swipe at Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra—saying she has been seeking their time for three years but "none of them met me."
"I was always sent from one office to...other," she added. Khera claimed that the Congress began to "hate her" after she visited Ayodhya's Ram Mandir.
During a press conference in Delhi, she added that the Congress had instructed her not to visit the temple during the election period.
Allegations
Khera alleges misconduct during Rahul Gandhi's rally
She also alleged misconduct by Shukla, accusing him of offering her alcohol during Rahul's "Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra."
According to Khera, Shukla and other party members disturbed her by knocking on her room door while under the influence.
On April 30, she said, Shukla again misbehaved with her.
"Shukla...started misbehaving with me...abusing me...when I took out my phone and said that I was recording you...Shukla made a gesture and two...people closed the door from inside," she alleged.
Twitter Post
Watch: Khera's statement here
#WATCH | Delhi: On her resignation from the Congress party, Radhika Khera says "On 30th April, when I went to talk to media chairman of Chhattisgarh Congress- Sushil Anand Shukha, but he started misbehaving with me and abusing me. I screamed a lot. I also shouted and told people… pic.twitter.com/yhGJbHIXMA
— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2024
Congress's response
Report forwarded to Congress for thorough investigation
In response to Khera's allegations, Chhattisgarh Congress President Deepak Baij said he has forwarded a report to the party leadership for a thorough investigation.
He said measures will be taken against those found guilty.
He added that women are present in key roles within the Congress, including control rooms, to prevent such incidents.
While acknowledging minor disagreements between Khera and Shukla, he dismissed any claims of neglecting Khera due to her visit to the Ram Mandir as "baseless."
Suman's statement
Didn't know until yesterday will be here
Separately, Suman addressed the media after joining the BJP and said, Even I did not know till yesterday that I would be sitting here...Sometimes you don't know what you are supposed to do...you get a direction from above and you follow it."
"I don't have any negative thoughts, I am thinking only about the country.," the actor added, and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda, among others.