Gaurav Bhatia, former SP spokesperson joins BJP

Gaurav Bhatia said the SP was moving away from the ideals of Ram Manohar Lohia. Photo: ANI

NEW DELHI: Former Samajwadi Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia, who had quit the party in the run up to Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, today joined the BJP. Bhatia, who was additional advocate general of the Uttar Pradesh government during the SP rule and one of the prominent faces of the party in television debates, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah inspired him to join the BJP. He quit as SP spokesperson on February 5. Bhatia, who is a Supreme Court lawyer, said, "The SP was moving away from the ideals of Ram Manohar Lohia. There is no value of loyalty and sincerity and it has been surrendered to dynastic politics." He, however, refrained from launching any personal attack on former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav or his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. He joined the party in the presence of BJP national secretary Bhupendra Yadav and national general secretary Arun Singh at the party office. Bhatia later met Amit Shah. The BJP, however, didn't comment on what role Bhatia would play.