New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Feb 20, 2004) countered the Congress criticism on film star and nominated Rajya Sabha member Hema Malini joining the party, by releasing a list of members of the Upper House who joined Congress after nomination.

"I have a list of people who joined the Congress between 1981 and 1997 after being nominated to the Rajya Sabha," party president M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters in New Delhi.

He said among those who joined the Congress after being nominated to the Rajya Sabha were Margatham Chandra Sekhar (1981), V C Ganesan (1982), Madan Bhatia and Thindivanam Ramamurthy (1985), R K Narayan (1989), Sat Pal Mittal and Mohammed Yunus (1990), Vyjayanthimala Bali (1994) and M Aram (1995).

"It is time the Congress sent its spokesmen for a refresher course on the Constitution, otherwise the party would become a laughing stock. How does it expect to provide an alternative to the NDA (National Democratic Alliance)?" he asked.