Former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar on Thursday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), five days after leaving the old party.
Jakhar BJP national president JP Nadda inducted him at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
Welcoming the former Congress leader, Nadda said: “I welcome Sunil Jakhar to the BJP. He is a seasoned political leader who has made a name for himself during his political career. I am sure he is in Punjab. Will play a big role in strengthening the party.”
He said that Jakhar had enjoyed a special stature in Punjab which was independent of the Congress party and helped strengthen the nationalist forces.
Nadda said, “BJP is emerging as the number one nationalist force in Punjab. Therefore, it is necessary for all leaders with nationalist ideology to join BJP to strengthen the party and strengthen Punjab.”
Jakhar, a three-time MLA and former member of the Lok Sabha from Gurdaspur, got emotional as he recalled his family’s five-decade association with the Congress.
“It is not easy to break ties with Congress spanning three generations since 1972 till now. We have been with Congress in good and bad times,” Jakhar said.
He said the BJP has welcomed him as he did not do politics for personal gain.
Jakhar, who was earlier removed from all posts, quit the Congress during a Facebook Live on Saturday.
He took to Twitter to slam former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, saying he was “not an asset” as portrayed by the party leadership.
He also attacked veteran Congress leader Ambika Soni for her statement on the “consequences of being a Hindu Chief Minister in Punjab”. Jakhar cited Soni’s statement as one of the reasons for the Congress’s defeat in the Punjab Assembly elections earlier this year.
With inputs from agencies.