Bhubaneswar: Advisor of ruling BJD’s legal cell and former president of Orissa High Court Bar Association Gopal Krushna Mohanty has joined the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections due next year.
Mohanty formally joined the party in the presence of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak along with more than 30 lawyers. Several senior Congress leaders were present at the joining ceremony held on Friday evening at the Congress Bhawan in Bhubaneswar.
While Mohanty vowed to being more members from the legal profession into Congress party.
The PCC chief said Mohanty’s entry into Congress will surely give more strength to the party.
Stating that he was working with the Janata Dal since 1977 and later in the BJD when it was formed, Mohanty said he decided to join congress after realizing that the regional outfit is no longer a political party but has become a corporate body.
He said he decided to quit the BJD to protect his self-esteem. The decision to join Congress was driven mainly by Rahul Gandhi’s ‘inspiring’ Bharat Jodo Yatra, he added.