Late CDS Gen Bipin Rawat`s brother, Col Vijay Rawat, joins BJP ahead of Uttarakhand Polls

New Delhi: Colonel Vijay Rawat, brother of India's first Chief of Defence Staff General and former Army Chief Bipin Rawat, who along with 11 others recently died in an IAF helicopter crash, joined the BJP on Wednesday (January 19) ahead of the assembly elections in his home state, Uttarakhand

According to PTI, the saffron party may field him as a candidate from Uttarakhand in the upcoming elections.

Vijay Rawat, who is retired as a colonel from the army, joined the BJP in the presence of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni.

Noting that his father, also a former army officer, was associated with the BJP, Rawat expressed happiness at working for the party and lavished praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he has a unique vision and mindset.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thinks out of the box and all his efforts are directed towards the country's betterment, Rawat said.

“I'm grateful to have been given the opportunity to join BJP. My father was with BJP after retiring & now I've gotten a chance. PM Modi's vision & thinking is very wise and futuristic,” ANI quoted Rawat as saying.

Welcoming Rawat into the party, Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami said the late CDS wanted to work for the state after retirement and his younger brother will advance his vision.

The BJP is inspired by nationalist ideology and has always worked for security personnel's welfare, he said.

Harping on the fact that Rawat’s family has been serving the nation by joining armed forces for three generations, Dhami said that Colonel Rawat’s entry into BJP will only strengthen the party and its vision more.

CDS Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat lost their lives in a tragic helicopter crash in December 2021. The accident killed 10 others.