india

Updated: Feb 04, 2020 16:14 IST

Samir Dwivedi, the son of senior Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi, on Tuesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said he was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

After joining the ruling BJP in the presence of its national general secretary Arun Singh, Samir Dwivedi talked about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and called upon the people to come together “before the fire spreads all over”.

“This is my first political party… Looking at the circumstances today, apolitical people should join politics, good and educated people should join politics,” Samir Dwivedi said after joining the BJP at its headquarters.

“There are things which have been done under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership were not possible earlier. The abrogation of Article 370, triple talaq and CAA are its examples,” he said.

The new joinee also spoke about Shaheen Bagh, the colony in southwest Delhi which has been a site of protests against the amended citizenship act for more than a month now.

“Those who are fuelling protest at Shaheen Bagh are the same people who were praising China in 1962… And, if we do not come forward to support Prime Minister Modiji now we will not be able to control the fire that is raging today,” he said.

“I just want to ask the Muslim women protesters in Shaheen Bagh one question. Did anyone before PM Modi take the decision to end the historic decision to do away with triple talaq? How can a person who abolished the practice of triple talaq take away your citizenship?” he asked.

Samir Dwivedi also accused the Left parties of propagating violence under the garb of such movements. He said the parties that are protesting against the citizenship act know that there is nothing wrong with the legislation.

Janardan Dwivedi, the former national secretary of the Congress party, said he had no knowledge of his son joining any political party.

“I have no information about this, If he is joining BJP then it is his independent decision,” the senior Congress leader said.

A former lieutenant general, Samir Dwivedi took voluntary retirement from the Indian Army in 2008. He has served in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh among other places.