Congress was 'directionless', couldn't see it coming to power for long time: Aditi Singh

Rae Bareli, Mar 23: The Congress was "directionless" with a "non-existent" work culture and couldn't see it coming to power for a long time, said Rae Bareli MLA Aditi Singh, who had switched to the BJP ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

Singh (34), who defeated Samajwadi Party's R P Yadav by 7,100 votes to register her second straight win, said her decision to quit the Congress and join the BJP was borne out of her obligation to the constituency's people.

"Could not see the Congress coming to power for a long time," she said.

"I couldn't coordinate with them, agree or understand their work culture. It was non-existent. So where do you grow? I was all of 29 years old when I last got elected. These are years for me to learn as a professional and to have the right kind of mentorship. What do I do with that directionless party," Singh said.

"Whilst on the other hand, we have a party (BJP) which has such clear vision and direction from the Centre to states to assembly and such hard working leaders," she said.

She termed the BJP's win from the constituency as "historic".

"My party had never won from this constituency since Independence. There was perhaps one time when the Janata Dal won, which again was won by my uncle. So, it was a very hard earned victory," she told PTI.

"Rae Bareli is a Congress bastion. A lot of people still do feel strongly about the Congress party. There was also a certain amount of anti-incumbency which one faces because I have been an MLA for five years. So to win in those circumstances, I am very happy about it and proud of myself," she said.

Aditi Singh is the daughter of the late Akhilesh Singh, a five-term MLA from the Rae Bareli (Sadar) seat. A strongman politician, he passed away in August 2019 due to illness.

Singh, who graduated from Duke University in the US, said she considers herself fortunate for having had an education that most people vie for but despite that could not see herself building on that vision.

"Somewhere after a point, you want to do more for the country. I came back from the US, where I had been for the longest time, and first and foremost I was answerable to the people of my constituency but I also wanted to be a part of nation-building and was very impressed by how the BJP works, their ideology," she said.

"It's so sad that the BJP gets so much flak for it (ideology). Other parties talk about hate speeches when they are actually propelling hate," she said.

"It's one thing to say something during election campaigns here and there but I never see anything reflected in their (BJP's) governance and I care about governance and not something that's said and done," she added.

Singh said the five-year governance of the Yogi Adityanath government impressed her as a woman, public representative and youth politician and her switch over was not influenced by the vote bank politics.

On her achievements as an MLA during her first term, she said Rae Bareli is a "very safe place" and that is something she would want to carry forward.

On plans for next five years, the legislator said she wants a university for Rae Bareli and will do everything in her power to make sure it gets one.

"We have an AIIMS and it's not fully functional but over time it will be. Above and beyond the party line, I would like to say it's a great thing for Rae Bareli. It's a fantastic gift by both governments. The Congress made it and the BJP kept building on it by further funding it," she added.

On the revival of industries in Rae Bareli, she said a lot of companies come under the Centre's ambit and "technically" fall under the purview of the Lok Sabha MP, Sonia Gandhi, who "should have been doing it".

"Having said that, being in a party which is also in the Centre, now I am happy I can bring up these projects with ministers in the Centre and have been taken seriously although I am fairly junior to them and mere colleague but that's an advantage which comes when you are in a party that's in the Centre as well as in a state," Singh said. "This was a very major consideration for me ahead of the elections when I chose to go with the BJP as I figured that I had to get a lot more work done for my constituency," she said.

On her situation in her former party, she said her family had known the Gandhis for a while but it had got to a point where she could not see the future of the Congress party going anywhere.

"I made myself very audible as an MLA and politician. But it got to a point where I felt I had so much obligation towards my public that have put their faith in me, I have won from here, they have been with my family for the longest time so I had to do more for them," she added.