Rajagopalachari's great grandson joins BJP

New Delhi: C R Kesavan, great grandson of noted freedom fighter and India's last governor general C Rajagopalachari, joined the BJP on Saturday as the party aims to boost its presence in southern India.

Kesavan, who was in the Congress earlier, heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ushering in "tectonic" transformation in India with his people-centric policies, and corruption-free and inclusive governance. National security has been given primacy and India's history and traditions are being celebrated with various events, Kesavan, who hails from Tamil Nadu, said, referring to the recent 'Kashi-Tamil Samagam'.

He praised the BJP for the "deep respects" it has for the country's founding fathers and mothers. Kesavan also lauded the government's handling the COVID-19 pandemic and credited it for India's rise in global stature. He joined the party in the presence of Union Minister VK Singh and BJP chief spokesperson Anil Baluni. Speaking on the occasion, Singh cited Rajagopalachari's contribution to the country and alleged that he was "sidelined" after independence and "invisiblised" from history as "one family tried to say they did everything".

Kesavan will be a strong voice in the BJP and also in the politics of Tamil Nadu, he said. In the last few days, people from different southern states, where the BJP remains a marginal force, have been inducted into the party. Anil Antony, son of veteran Congress leader A K Antony of Kerala, and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, also in the Congress earlier, have joined the BJP in the last two days.