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The BJP Monday received a shot in the arm ahead of the February 20 Punjab Assembly election, as three prominent faces of the ruling Congress including Amarjit Singh Tikka and Sukhwinder Singh Bindra, the sitting chairpersons of two corporations in the poll-bound state, and Daman Bajwa, the national secretary of Indian Youth Congress, joined it.
At a separate event earlier, the party also added to its star quotient as it inducted Bollywood actor Mahie Gill and veteran Punjabi actor Hobby Dhaliwal.
Union minister and Punjab in-charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat welcomed them into the partyfold.
While Amarjit Tikka is the chairperson of Punjab Medium Industry Development Board, Sukhwinder Singh Bindra heads the Punjab Youth Development Board. Daman Bajwa, a firebrand youth leader who had also remained the state president of the National Students Union of India, was vying for the Congress ticket from Sunam but was denied.
Talking to reporters, Tikka, a veteran Congress leader from Ludhiana, said “like every Sikh”, he was touched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gestures towards the community. Tikka said he made up his mind to join the BJP when PM announced December 26 as the Bal Veer Diwas to commemorate the martyrdom Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh. Besides, he pointed out, “it was Modi who punished the culprits responsible for 1984 anti-Sikh riots”. He said, the community will always be grateful to Prime Minister Modi for opening the Kartarpur Corridor.
Tikka served the Congress for over 30 years and had remained closely associated with former chief ministers late Beant Singh and Capt Amarinder Singh.
Daman Bajwa too said she felt inspired by the leadership of Modi and is joining BJP as it “promoted and encouraged youth and women leadership and rewarded talent and hardwork”.
Sukhwinder Bindra said, the youth had great expectations from the BJP government as it encouraged honest and hardworking people.
Earlier, talking Talking to reporters, Mahie Gill said she had always felt that Punjab beckoned her. “I have always felt that my home was calling me back and I wanted to serve it and I did not find any better party than the BJP,” she said.
The award winning actor said she particularly wanted to do something for the girls in Punjab and felt confident that she could do it with the BJP only.
Hobby Dhaliwal said he was impressed by the vision of PM Modi for Punjab.
Welcoming the actors into the party, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said there was a strong BJP wave building up in Punjab and the party was set to form the government here. He said, more and more people having exceptional achievements to their credit are joining the party in Punjab as they were fed up with other political parties.
Shekhawat claimed that several other prominent people from different walks of life will be joining the party in coming days. “The BJP has caught the public imagination in Punjab and we are flooded by offers from people to join the party,” he said.
The Union Minister reiterated that Congress naming Charanjit Singh Channi as its CM candidate will not make any difference. He said, it has only reinforced the public perception that corruption and the mafia system was not only acceptable in Congress, but was also being rewarded. “The only thing that has now been firmly established is that Congress has become morally so bankrupt that it had to name someone as its CM candidate who was facing serious charges of corruption and promoting the sand mafia,” he added.
Meanwhile, Capt Gurjinder Singh Sidhu, president of Ex-Servicemen wing of Shiromani Akali Dal; Jagdeep Badal, grandson of veteran Akali leader Gurdev Singh Badal; Nishan Singh, president Nagar council, Sunam and several also joined the BJP.
