Former Delhi minister joins BSP

New Delhi, Mar 13 (UNI) Former Delhi Transport minister Rajendra Gupta today joined the Bahujan Samaj Party here.

Mr Gupta, who was a minister during the BJP regime, had recently joined former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti's Bharatiya Jan Shakti and was heading its Delhi unit.

According to BSP state unit president Jageram Bhati Mr Gupta has joined the party as the BJP had ignored the interests of the vaishya community. ''No one from the community holds a senior position in the BJP,'' Gupta lamented.

He claimed that like Brahmins, the vaishyas too were looking at the BSP as their ''new saviour.'' ''The BJP is constantly ignoring the vaishya community...we are being pushed back in the party heirarchy,'' he alleged.

He said BSP president and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati had the capability to lead the party to power in the coming Delhi assembly elections. ''Like UP, BSP will form the next government in Delhi,'' he added.

To a poser on his role in the BSP, Mr Gupta claimed that it was upto Ms Mayawati to assign him a new responsibility. ''I am here to follow the BSP policies and work under the leadership of Ms Mayawati,'' he added.

UNI NAB SB GC1545