Former Delhi minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Friday joined the Congress after quitting the Aam Aadmi Party and resigning as the MLA of the Seemapuri Assembly constituency.

Gautam joined the Congress in the presence of party general secretary KC Venugopal, party Delhi chief Devender Yadav and party leader Pawan Khera in the national capital.

“Unfortunately, we can see a rise in religious and caste frenzy in the last 10 years,” Gautam said while joining the Congress. He added that Dalits, those from backward communities and minorities were being oppressed.

“At such a time, [Congress leader] Rahul Gandhi gave a slogan during Bharat Jodo Yatra – ‘I have come to open a shop of love in the market of hatred’. That slogan touched my heart,” Gautam said.

He added: “He [Gandhi] said that the Constitution has to be saved and taking forward social justice in the country, every section should get their representation as per their population.”

Expressing his gratitude to Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, Gautam said: “He [Kejriwal] gave me the opportunity and I became an MLA twice.” Gautam had represented Seemapuri since 2015.

However, he said that the Aam Aadmi Party maintained silence on matters pertaining to social justice, representation and the demand for a caste census, and that this hurt him.

The Congress had promised a nationwide caste census in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha election. Proponents of such a census argue that it will lead to identifying the true population of the country’s Other Backward Classes and other castes, helping pave the way for policies such as expanded quotas.

In his resignation letter to Kejriwal, Gautam claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party was neglecting the interests of minorities and Bahujan communities due to the influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ideology.

“I had hoped that the party would make some changes to its policies and would directly confront the challenges faced by oppressed, minority and marginalised communities,” he said in the letter posted on X. “The party supports members from higher castes even when they face allegations.”

In October 2022, Gautam had resigned as the social welfare minister in the Delhi government after a row erupted over him attending an event where some Hindus vowed to convert to Buddhism.

He had attended the event and shared its pictures, saying that 10,000 intellectuals took a pledge to make a caste-free and untouchable India by adopting the Buddhist faith.

After a video was shared on social media of him attending the event, the BJP had sought Gautam’s resignation.

Banners calling Kejriwal “anti-Hindu” and showing him in a Muslim prayer cap were also pasted in several Gujarat cities. At the time, the Aam Aadmi Party was seeking to make a foray in the Gujarat Assembly elections that were slated to take place in December 2022.

Gautam’s move to the Congress on Friday comes at a time when party is negotiating an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party for the Haryana Assembly elections.

Haryana will head for polling on October 5. The counting of votes will take place on October 8.

Elections for the Delhi Assembly will also be held early next year.