Congress leader Kirti Azad joins TMC

(Source: Twitter/ANI)

New Delhi: Congress leader Kirti Azad on Tuesday (November 23, 2021) joined TMC in New Delhi in the presence of party supremo Mamata Banerjee, reported ANI.

Azad met TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on her visit to New Delhi, at the South Avenue and joined the party.

"It makes me happy to say that under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, I'll work for the development of the nation. Today, a personality like her is needed in the country who can show the country the right direction," Azad said after joining Trinamool.

Azad, who joined Congress in 2019 was reportedly upset with the Congress leadership, especially Rahul Gandhi.  He was earlier with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

In December 2015, Azad was suspended from the BJP for openly targeting then Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over alleged irregularities and corruption in Delhi and District Cricket Association .and later in 2018

A cricketer-turned-politician, Azad was elected to Lok Sabha thrice from Darbhanga in Bihar. He had fought the 2014 general elections on a BJP ticket.

Azad was also a part of the World Cup-winning Indian team in 1983.

Azad was welcomed to Trinamool Congress by party leader Mamata Banerjee, who is in Delhi to discuss opposition strategy for the Winter session of the Parliament.

Banerjee will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to discuss issues pertaining to the Border Security Force (BSF) and the development of the state during her visit to Delhi. Banerjee had visited Delhi in July this year. It was her first visit after Trinamool Congress returned to power in the Bengal Assembly polls. During her last visit to Delhi, she had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(With agency inputs)