In bad news for the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab, some of their leaders jumped into the BJP on Saturday. Former ministers Raj Kumar Verka, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Sunder Sham Arora and Gurpreet Singh Kangar Grand Old Party as well as former Congress MLA from Barnala Kewal Dhillon joined the saffron party. Former Akali Dal MLAs Sarup Chand Singla and Mohinder Kaur Josh also joined the BJP.
BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa tweeted pictures from joining and said, “BJP Punjab is growing & getting stronger everyday @BJP4Punjab @gssjodhpur @sunilkjakhar @dushyanttgautam @arvindkhannaoff ”
BJP Punjab is growing and getting stronger every day@BJP4Punjab @gssjodhpur @sunilkjakhar @dushyantgautam @arvindkhannaoff pic.twitter.com/PySyXEFUUb
— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) 4 June 2022
Former Congress veteran Sunil Jakhar, who recently joined the BJP, also stood by the newcomers. Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Som Prakash as well as Punjab unit chief Ashwini Sharma were also present.
Balbir Sidhu is a three-time MLA from Mohali, and he was the health minister in the previous Congress-led cabinet. Kangar, who was a three-time MLA from Rampura Phool, was the revenue minister. Verka, a prominent Dalit leader from Majha region, was also a three-time MLA and minister of social justice and minorities. Meanwhile, Arora, a former MLA from Hoshiarpur, was the Minister of Industries and Commerce.
All the four former Congress ministers lost the recently held Punjab Assembly elections. Union Home Minister Amit Shah was in Chandigarh for a meeting. He not only inaugurated the Khelo India Youth Games in Panchkula, Haryana but also met state BJP leaders.
Captain Amarinder Singh, who resigned as chief minister last year, congratulated those who joined the BJP. He said it was only “the tip of the iceberg”.
He tweeted: “My best wishes to Balbir S Sidhu, Gurpreet S Kanger, Dr Raj Kumar Verka, Sunder Sham Arora and Kewal Singh Dhillon for taking steps in the right direction and joining @BJP4India today. This is just the tip of the iceberg!”
My best wishes to Balbir S Sidhu, Gurpreet S Kangar, Dr Raj Kumar Verka, Sunder Sham Arora and Kewal Singh Dhillon for taking steps in the right direction and joining @BJP4India today.
This is just the tip of the iceberg!
— Captain Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) 4 June 2022
Blaming the Gandhi family for the Congress’s fortunes in the elections, the former CM had formed his own party, the Punjab Lok Congress, after stepping down from his post.
(with PTI inputs)
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