Former Bureaucrats, Eminent Ex-Servicemen Join BJP in Presence of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, List of Names Here (See Pics)

New Delhi, September 11: Twenty "distinguished" persons, including 10 former bureaucrats and five ex-servicemen, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri here on Wednesday.

Union Minister Puri expressed joy and welcomed them into the party. "It is a matter of great joy that distinguished retired civil servants who devoted their entire life to civil service career - whether they were generals in the armed forces, chief commissioners of Income Tax, or members of the Board of Direct Taxes, retired ambassadors, expressed their desire to formally join the BJP. So, we welcomed them," Puri said.

Former diplomat and President of India Habitat Centre, Bhaswati Mukherjee, who joined the BJP, supported the party's foreign policy. "I have become a member today after I have been supporting the party's position on various matters including foreign policy. At this time, we need a strong PM and party, when external forces are threatening the country. My agenda is to serve the nation under BJP. We must not forget and focus on security on our eastern borders," Mukherjee said. 'Take Control of BJP Office': PM Narendra Modi Makes Appeal to Muslim Community, Urges Them to Get Rid of 'Fear Politics' (Watch Video).

New Additions to Bharatiya Janata Party

Along with Mukherjee, former Ambassador Kailash Lal Agrawal, former DGP Jharkhand Nirmal Kaur, former member of Central Board of Direct Tax (CBDT)Saroj Bala, former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (CCIT) Gunjan Misra, former Jt. Commissioner Excise and Taxation (Punjab) Mukesh Gambhir, former CCIT RK Bajaj, Vijay Singal and Ashwani Garg joined the party. Former member of Income-Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) Dinesh Chandra Agarawal also joined the BJP in the presence of Puri.

Five ex-servicemen, including former Lieutenant Generals Nitin Kohli and Bhopinder Singh, former Major Generals PC Kharbanda, SVP Singh and Shujan Gopal Chatterji joined BJP. Major General (retd) SVP Singh hailed the party saying, "BJP is the number one party in the world. In matters of foreign policy, adopting strategic autonomy requires courage and conviction. In the next 2-3 years, we will be becoming the third largest economy in the world. There must be unity in the country this time. It is not right to make negative statements about one's country abroad. You can differ with policies and persons but take the country to further heights." ‘Rahul Gandhi Often Praises China’: BJP Takes Potshots at Leader of Opposition for Targeting Ruling Government in US, Says ‘Congress Leader Criticises India on Foreign Visits’ (Watch Video).

Atif Rasheed, former Vice Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, Khairul Bashar; Chairman of the Civil IAS Academy, Firoz Bakht, former Chancellor Maulana Azad University, Sumit Deb, ex-CMD of NMDC also joined the party in the presence of the Union Minister. The membership drive, which began on September 2, is set to run until October 15. For the first time, the process is being conducted through a digital app, making it more accessible and efficient for prospective members.