Former Samajwadi Party leader Gaurav Bhatia, who had quit the party just before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, on Sunday joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi.
Bhatia, one of the prominent faces of the party in television debates as SP spokesperson, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah inspired him to join the BJP.
He was additional advocate general of the Uttar Pradesh government during the SP rule.
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.
(With PTI inputs)
