In 2018, Singh participated in a rally in support of the accused in the Kathua gangrape case. At the time, he was a cabinet minister in the BJP-PDP alliance in the erstwhile state and was forced to resign from his position.

Lal Singh. Photo: X/@ChLalSinghDSS

By The Wire Staff

New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) minister Lal Singh, who participated in a rally in support of the accused in the Kathua gangrape case in 2018, rejoined the Congress after a 10-year stint away from the grand old party. 

The 65-year-old leader had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after Congress had denied him a ticket to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Udhampur, news agency PTI reported.

Reports of him rejoining the Congress have come amid speculations that he will be fielded against Union minister Jitendra Singh from Udhampur, which is scheduled to go to polls on April 19. He also announced the merger of his outfit, Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party (DSSP), with the Congress.

However, former J&K chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad questioned the Congress for inducting Singh given his past conduct.

Kathua rally and exit from the BJP

Singh was a cabinet minister in the BJP-PDP alliance in the erstwhile state when he, along with his party colleague Chander Prakash Ganga, were forced to resign over their participation in a rally organised to support those arrested in connection with the Kathua rape and murder case in 2018.

This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.