AAP MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam joins Cong
New Delhi (PTI): Former Delhi minister and AAP MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam joined the Congress here on Friday.
He joined the party at the AICC headquarters in the presence of general secretary KC Venugopal, party's Delhi chief Devender Yadav and Congress' media publicity department head Pawan Khera.
"It's a proud moment for us as Shri Rajendra Pal Gautam joins the Congress party," Venugopal said at a press conference.
"The Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra have given a new narrative to the country, and now the country is also accepting it with full might. Attracted by the Congress programs under the leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, he has decided to join the Congress " Venugopal said of Gautam.
Earlier in the day, Gautam said in a post in Hindi on X, "I am resigning from the membership and all posts of AAP in order to accelerate the struggle for social justice and participation of the Bahujan Samaj in all sectors."
Gautam resigned as social welfare minister in October 2022 after he kicked off a political storm over his alleged remarks against Hindu deities.
He is a former Minister for Water, Tourist, Culture, Arts and Languages and Gurudwara Elections in the Government of Delhi, and represents Seemapuri Assembly constituency in the Delhi Legislative Assembly.
Elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly are due early next year.
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Man arrested in UP's Auraiya for rape, murder of minor cousin on same day she tied rakhi on him
Auraiya: A 33-year-old man has been arrested in Auraiya for the alleged rape and murder of his 14-year-old cousin on the night of Raksha Bandhan, just hours after she had tied a rakhi on him.
According to police, the accused, identified as Surjeet, attempted to mislead investigators by staging the crime scene to look like a suicide. The incident occurred on Saturday night when Surjeet, reportedly in a state of heavy intoxication, went to his uncle's home where the victim lived. He is accused of sexually assaulting the sleeping teenager, killing her, and then hanging her body.
The victim's father discovered his daughter's body the next morning and alerted the authorities.
Officials immediately suspected foul play upon arriving at the scene. "Blood stains and other signs clearly indicated this was not suicide," stated Auraiya Superintendent of Police (SP), Abhijeet Shankar.
During the initial inquiry, Surjeet drew suspicion upon himself by aggressively answering questions that were intended for the victim's immediate family. A post-mortem examination subsequently confirmed that the minor had been sexually assaulted.
Following the forensic report, Surjeet was arrested. "He confessed to the crime during interrogation," SP Shankar confirmed.
