Zee Media Bureau/Ritesh K Srivastava
New Delhi: Though the ruling Congress has dismissed Manmohan Singh`s half-brother Daljeet Singh Kohli`s joining BJP as a "non-event", the Prime Minister on Saturday said that he was saddened by his half-brother`s decision to join the BJP.
"I feel very sad. I have no control. They are all adults," Dr Singh said while replying to queries on the sidelines of the Padma Awards function here.
Prime Minister`s family too expressed shock over the turn of events involving Kohli.
Dr Manmohan Singh`s nephew Manbir Singh said that all the family members are "shocked" with the decision.
"All our family members are completely shocked with Daljeet`s decision. It may be his personal choice that he has changed his ideology. We are completely with Dr Singh and we support Captain Amarinder Singh here in Amritsar," said Manbir.
Meanwhile, the Congress hit back at the BJP, saying that the party`s "dirty tricks department" is behind this development.
"As far as I know he is a non-political person. He never made a political statement in his life. His joining a party is a non-event," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters at the AICC briefing.
When asked about the reported comments of a nephew of Singh that there was a "deal" behind Kohli joining the BJP, Chidambaram said, "It is quite possible. Why should I disbelief that. I think they had set up a dirty tricks department. Is that still functioning?"
Kohli yesterday joined BJP at a public rally in Amritsar in the presence of the party`s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
The entry of Kohli, a local businessman, into the BJP came a day after the prime minister rejected perceptions of a `Modi wave` in the country.
Welcoming Kohli into the BJP fold, Modi had said he will further strengthen the party.
PMO later said Manmohan Singh`s family was "shocked" at the turn of events involving Kohli. "His intentions are not known but he is free to pursue his political career," they had said, adding the prime minister and Kohli have not been keeping in touch since long.
Prime Minister Singh has six sisters while Kohli is his half-brother, the sources said. The Prime Minister`s mother died at an early age.
