Tags:
Journalism of Courage
In a big jolt to the Congress in Punjab, its Mohali mayor, four former ministers and a former MLA joined the BJP on Saturday, as did two former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLAs, giving the saffron party a major shot in the arm. The development came on a when Union Home Minister Amit Shah was in Chandigarh for a meeting with party leaders and inaugurating the Khelo India Youth Games in Haryana’s Panchkula.
Former Congress ministers Raj Kumar Verka, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh Kangar and Sunder Sham Arora are among the leaders who were welcomed to the saffron fold in the presence of state BJP president Ashwani Sharma, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Earlier, a video of the four with former state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, who last month joined the BJP, went viral. Also seen in the video was former SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who had also switched over to the party.
State Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring termed the switchovers a “blessing in disguise”. He said the saffron party had taken “trash” into its fold and would realise in the next elections what a “tohfa” (gift) it had accepted. He said the Congress suffered a political debacle thanks to such leaders. The party could win only 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly in the February 20 elections. Warring was one of the winners.
Kewal Dhillon, a former MLA from Barnala who was expelled from the Congress for alleged anti-party activities, also joined the BJP. Former MLA Sarup Chand Singla, who quit the SAD in March this year, also joined the saffron party.
With this, at least three senior politicians from the Malwa region—Kangar, a former MLA from Rampura Phul; Singla, a former MLA from Bathinda; and Sidhu, a former MLA from Mohali—switched over to the BJP.
Arora, a former MLA from Hoshiarpur, hails from the Doaba region and Verka, a former MLA from Amritsar West, is from the Majha region. While Verka is a Dalit leader, Singla and Arora were Hindu faces of the Congress in the Sikh-majority state and Sidhu and Kangar its Jat Sikh faces.
The leaders were taken into the BJP fold in the presence of Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh and Union Cabinet minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
The AAP stormed to power amid a very strong wave for “badlaav” (change) in its favour, winning an unprecedented 92 seats.
Mohinder Kaur Josh, a former SAD MLA from the Sham Chaurasi Assembly constituency, and former Congress minister Balbir Singh Sidhu’s brother and Mohali mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu joined the BJP. Meanwhile, AAP leader Raghav Chadha tweeted that “Punjab Congress’s trash” was joining the saffron party. “BJP has become a dustbin for all of Congress’s trash,” he wrote.
While Dhillon and Josh did not contest the February 20 elections, Verka, Sidhu, Kangar, Arora and Singla were unsuccessful.
Verka had in a recent video hit out at the party high command for failing to set its house in order and address factionalism.
Jakhar and Sirsa are learnt to have played a key role in the switchovers, having recently been in constant touch with the turncoats, according to sources.
State Congress working president Kuljit Singh Nagra said in a video message, “At a time when there was a big tragedy in Punjab (the killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala) and when there was a need to share Punjabis’ grief with Amit Shah, leaders were coerced to join the BJP.”
“The Congress leaders who are joining the BJP”, I feel, “are those who did wrong things and Captain Amarinder Singh knows in which all wrongdoings they were involved,” he further said in the video.
Nagra also alleged that former chief minister Amarinder was threatening to reveal their wrongdoings if they refused to join the BJP. A “true Congressman who loves Punjab” would not join the BJP, he added.
An aide to Jakhar said family members of four-time Congress MLA Amrik Singh Dhillon, who contested as an independent this year after being denied a ticket, also joined the saffron party. Dhillon is not keeping well.
Meanwhile, Shah said the BJP will play a big role in the politics of Punjab and will emerge as the largest party in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Addressing state BJP leaders, including core group members, office-bearers and district presidents. “BJP will play a big role in the state politics…Whosoever wants to join hands with us will have to be a small partner and we will also welcome those who want to come into the BJP fold,” he said.
Shah also recalled the historic sacrifices of the people of Punjab for the protection of religion and rights of the people. “I want to assure the people of Punjab that the Centre and the country stand with every citizen of Punjab and this crisis situation in Punjab will not be allowed to worsen,” he said.
Shah also hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab and said that in just three months, its face of “deceit and deception has been exposed”. “One shudders to think what will it (AAP) do in five years,” he said as he was apparently hitting out at the AAP government over the law and order situation.
Shah, while putting all political rumours to rest, said the BJP will contest elections on its own and whosoever wanted to join it will have to contest on its ‘lotus’ symbol. “We are here to win and bring prosperity to the state,” he said.
Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma said the party is committed to safeguarding the interest of Punjab and will not allow anyone to disturb peace.
Sharma said the BJP will contest the June 23 Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll in alliance with the Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).
