Former Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday joined the Bhartiya Janta Party making him a part of the long list of people who have done the same in the last few years. Singh joined the party in the presence of Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Kiren Rijiju while he had attended a meeting with BJP national president J P Nadda earlier in the day.
Amarinder Singh served as of Punjab twice from 2002 to 2007 and then again from March 2017 to September 2021 before he was insulted and ousted unceremoniously by Congress. After this, he founded his own party known as Punjab Lok Congress (PLC). However, the party failed to make a mark in the last assembly election in Punjab and could not win a single seat.
In his remarks, the two-time former Punjab chief minister with a long association with the Congress before he quit it last year highlighted his security concerns for Punjab amid "increasing animosity" with Pakistan, something he has been seeing with "growing dismay".
"Now is the time to do something for the country. We have seen the Congress, now it is time to go to the party which has been doing so much for the country and its security. It is a pleasure being here," he told a press conference.
He also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda after the joining ceremony
Singh had floated the Punjab Lok Congress last year after quitting the Congress following his unceremonious exit as chief minister, but his party failed to win any seat in the state assembly polls held in February.
Singh himself lost from his home turf of Patiala Urban as the Aam Aadmi Party scored a landslide victory.
Along with Singh, former deputy speaker of Punjab Assembly Ajaib Singh Bhatti, former MP Amrik Singh Aliwal, former legislators Harchand Kaur, Harinder Singh Thekedar, Prem Mittal and labour leader Kewal Singh also joined the BJP with scores of his supporters.
The former adviser to Amarinder Singh, BIS Chahal, also joined the saffron party.
(With inputs from PTI)
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