Jitin Prasada avoids question on reports of him joining BJP, says there should be some basis

Amid reports of him joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Jitin Prasada, senior Congress leader and two-time Lok Sabha MP, on Friday refused to answer a question regarding the same. Speaking to media, Prasada said, "There should be some basis for such a question. Why should I answer a hypothetical question?"

The Congress Rajya Sabha MP won from Shahjahanpur and Dhaurahra Lok Sabha constituencies in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections, respectively. This comes as a massive jolt to the Congress as Jitin Prasada was considered to be very close to Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Congress' Jitin Prasada on being asked if he is going to join BJP: There should be some basis for such a question. Why should I answer a hypothetical question? pic.twitter.com/Dv2D0NhUve

— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2019

Forty five-year-old Jitin Prasada was the Minister of State form Steel from April 2008 to May 2009 in UPA-I government of prime minister Manmohan Singh. He held the portfolios of Minister of State, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Road Transport and Highways, and Human Resource Development in UPA-II.

Jitin is an alumnus of The Doon School, Dehradun. He did his graduation in B Com (Hons) from Delhi University's Sri Ram College of Commerce and then went to do his MBA from IMI, New Delhi.

He comes from a family which has traditionally supported the Congress with his grandfather Jyoti Prasada being a member of the party. His father Jitendra Prasada was a Congress vice president and served as the political advisor to former prime ministers Rajiv Gandhi and PV Narasimha Rao. Jitendra has also contested against Sonia Gandhi for the post of the party president in 2000 but had lost.

Congress Randeep Surjewala said, "It is bullshit," when asked about the media reports on Jitin Prasada joining the BJP.