The Hindu : National : 3 U.P. leaders join Congress

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Wednesday, Sep 22, 2004

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National

3 U.P. leaders join Congress

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 21. The Congress today admitted three leaders from Uttar Pradesh, including the former Union Minister, Balram Singh Yadav, and the former Bharatiya Janata Party MP, Prabhu Dayal Katheria.

Mr. Yadav, who served as Minister with independent charge in the Narasimha Rao Government between 1991 and 1996, had snapped his links with the party and moved over to the Samajwadi Party (SP). During the 13th Lok Sabha, Mr. Yadav dissociated from the SP and all but crossed over to the Janata Dal (United), an ally of the BJP.

Describing his return as "a homecoming,'' Mr. Yadav said he had been forced to move away from the Congress as there was a plan to expel him. Later, he got disillusioned with the SP and contested the last Lok Sabha elections on the BJP ticket.

Mr. Katheria, who had represented the Ferozabad Lok Sabha constituency, alleged that the BJP was neither for "Ram nor Rahim.''

The party also admitted former U.P. MLA, Baba Ramnath Yadav.

He had moved over to the Congress from the Rashtriya Kranti Party, founded by the former U.P. Chief Minister, Kalyan Singh. Satyavrat Chaturvedi, general secretary in-charge of U.P. affairs, welcomed these leaders.

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