Jolt to Cong as Ranjeeta Mehta joins saffron party

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 24

Haryana Congress spokesperson and national coordinator for the All-India Mahila Congress Ranjeeta Mehta, who was denied mayoral ticket by the party, today switched over to the BJP in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, at her house in Sector 16 here today.

Khattar welcomed her in the party fold by offering her BJP's "patka".

Mehta's decision to join the BJP has come as a jolt to the Congress a few days ahead of voting for the Panchkula Municipal Corporation elections. She comes from the Punjabi community.

Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja met the disgruntled leader yesterday to persuade her to not to leave the party.

Mehta had lambasted the ruling BJP for poor facilities at the Sector 6 Civil Hospital when she was admitted to the infirmary for Covid-19 treatment in August this year.

Sharing pictures of bees flying in the hospital ward on her Twitter account, Mehta had said that "substandard" way of treating Covid patients by the Health Department forced Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Speaker Gian Chand Gupta to get themselves admitted to a premium private hospital in Gurugram. Subsequently, Mehta was shifted to a city-based private hospital.

At the time of discharge, she had accused the hospital of overcharging and questioned the government for taking no step to stop loot from Covid patients.

Soon after joining the BJP, Mehta said: "The Congress doesn't give its leaders the respect they deserve. The party takes all of its decisions in the drawing room which every leader has to abide by".

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