New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) Former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi Friday joined the BJP "for the rest of my life" after lavishing praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A day after former police officer Kiran Bedi formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, it was the turn of Ilmi, who broke ranks some time ago with Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal.
"There is indeed a new political discourse in the country, and we must all be a part of it," the journalist-turned-politician told the media in the company of Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay.
She admitted she had had differences with the BJP and the Congress in the past.
"But in the last six months I have realized that the prime minister is doing a good job. The way he invoked Mahatma Gandhi's name for the Swacch Bharat (Clean India) campaign is very impressive," she said.
Ilmi had contested - and narrowly lost - the December 2013 assembly elections on AAP ticket.
Once close to Kejriwal, Ilmi was reportedly unhappy that the AAP fielded her in the Lok Sabha elections of 2014 from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh where she finished a distant fifth.
Ilmi earlier called on BJP president Amit Shah. She said she expected "nothing" from the BJP.
"You can ask Amit Bhai and others. I have not asked for anything," she said. "It is an opportunity to serve my city and nation."
Ilmi further said that it was her decision to not fight the election and she hoped that the party will respect that.
"However, I am ready to take up any responsibility that the party gives me," she added.
Along with Ilmi, music director Anand Raaj Anand too joined the party.
Odisha Assembly Session begins with Opposition Walkout
Bhubaneswar, Feb 6 (IANS) The budget session of the Odisha assembly began Friday with the opposi
The country changed, the opposition team changed, the tournament changed... just one thing didn't
India's defense forces have carried out precision strikes on terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and P
Is India vs China the biggest conflict of the 21st century ?
If we look at the first six-seven months of the year 2020, the violent skirmish between the soldi
India defeated Australia in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy 2025 and knocked them out of
If Rashid Khan is called the best player of the T20 format, it is not said in the air and the way
These days political parties are busy preparing for the Corona transition and the upcoming assemb
About 17 lakh tonnes of India's wheat is stuck at various ports. It is likely to get worse in the
Popular OTT platform Prime Video today announced the world premiere of the much-awaited film Bawa
Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt's former personal assistant Vedika Prakash Shetty has been arrested
