Lal Singh joins Congress, likely to contest Udhampur Lok Sabha seat

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, March 20

Ten years after quitting the Congress and joining the BJP before forming his own party, three-time MLA and two-time Member of Parliament (MP) Choudhary Lal Singh rejoined the Congress in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Was snubbed during Rahul’s rally

• During Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra last year, Choudhary Lal Singh was not invited on stage with Rahul when several leaders from J&K stood beside the latter.
• Singh was snubbed allegedly due to his support of the persons accused of raping and murdering a minor in Kathua’s Rasana in 2018.

Political journey

Choudhary Lal Singh is a two-time Congress MP from Udhampur. He won in 2004 and 2009. He left the party in 2014 to join the BJP and was a minister in the BJP-PDP government.

Singh has been facing a money laundering case in relation to an educational trust run by his wife by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for which he was also arrested in November last year and later released on bail.

He is expected to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from the Udhampur constituency from where BJP’s heavy weight and Union Minister Jitendra Singh is also contesting. The constituency has a significant Muslim and Rajput population which will make the contest interesting.

During the joining in New Delhi, Singh indicated that he would be contesting the upcoming polls. “My constituency is one of the biggest in terms of area and population in the country. My constituency has lithium, sand and gravels, Rajma and Chawal. You will witness a major fight (in elections) in my constituency,” he said.

Interestingly, Singh is a two-time Congress MP from Udhampur. He won in 2004 and 2009. He left the party in 2014 and joined the BJP. He remained a minister in the BJP-PDP government but resigned after a controversy hit when he participated in a rally in support of the persons who were accused of raping and murdering a minor in Kathua’s Rasana in 2018.

He formed his own party — Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan — in 2019 and contested Lok Sabha polls from Udhampur constituency but was defeated by Jitendra Singh.

Choudhary Lal Singh was snubbed during Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra last year allegedly due to his support to the rape-murder accused. He was not invited on stage with Rahul when several leaders from J&K stood beside the latter. In New Delhi, he said, “They (BJP) are trying to cancel my bail. But we will fight and won’t be afraid to get the rights of people back.”

The contest from Udhampur constituency will become interesting as GM Saroori, a candidate of Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), is said to have been popular in the region.