Former Union minister Birender Singh quits BJP, to join Congress

Former Union Minister, Birender Singh, announced on Monday his departure from the BJP and return to Congress. 

This development follows his son, Brijendra Singh's resignation from the Lok Sabha and BJP to join Congress, which occurred almost a month prior. 

Birender Singh, along with his wife Prem Lata, who served as MLA from 2014-2019, submitted their resignations to BJP party chief J P Nadda. 

The couple is set to join Congress. Birender Singh initially joined the BJP in 2014, under the leadership of then-party president Amit Shah, after a nearly 40-year affiliation with Congress. 

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His son, Brijendra, resigned as MP and joined Congress on March 10 this year, attributing his move to 'compelling political reasons'. 

This came five months after Birender Singh issued a warning to the BJP at a rally in Jind in October 2023, threatening to leave if the party maintained its alliance with the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) of Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala in Haryana. 

Following Brijendra's switch to Congress, the BJP ended its relationship with the JJP on March 12. 

The father-son pair has previously shown defiance towards BJP's stance, extending their support to the farmer's protest against the now-repealed farm laws.