The Indian Panorama

Tag: Sunil Jakhar

  • Sunil Jakhar joins BJP days after leaving Congress

    Sunil Jakhar joins BJP days after leaving Congress

    New Delhi (TIP)- Sunil Jakhar, a prominent face of Punjab politics who quit the Congress recently, joined the BJP on Thursday, May 19, a development being seen as a big gain for the saffron party that aspires to get a toehold in the border state. Jakhar, unlike many other Congress deserters, has expressed sorrow at breaking ties with the Grand Old Party, saying it was not easy to snap a 50-year-old relationship that spanned three generations of his family. He stressed on Thursday that the Congress for him was not a party but “family”.

    “I had a 50-year-old relationship with the Congress. Three generations of my family have been with the party since 1972. Considering the party my family, we stayed with it in good and bad times,” Jakhar said, claiming he quit not because of “fundamental disputes” with the party or any “personal dispute”.

    BJP president J.P. Nadda was personally present to welcome Jakhar, underlining the importance the party was according to the latest catch from the Congress. Nadda claimed that Jakhar left the Congress owing to a “dispute over nationalism” and “Punjab’s unity and brotherhood”.

    Claiming that the BJP was leading the “nationalist forces” in Punjab, Nadda said it was essential that people aligning with such an ideology joined the party. He said Jakhar would play a key role for the BJP in Punjab. After Jakhar, another key Congress deserter, Hardik Patel from Gujarat, is set to join the BJP soon, BJP leaders said. Hardik, who quit the Congress on Wednesday, has slammed the leadership in general and Rahul Gandhi in particular and dropped enough hints that he was headed towards the BJP. Jakhar quit the Congress after the party’s disciplinary committee recommended that he be suspended for two years and removed from all posts for criticising then chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. The Congress lost the Punjab elections earlier this year. Jakhar holds a lot of importance for the BJP that has a marginal presence in Punjab. In the Sikh-dominated state sharing a border with Pakistan, the BJP had for years played second fiddle to then ally Akali Dal. The BJP was left virtually orphaned in the state after the Akali Dal snapped ties over the farm laws. Jakhar is a prominent non-Sikh politician from the state who commands a lot of goodwill. Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP has been running a determined campaign to woo the Sikhs after the Centre was forced to withdraw the three new farm laws, bowing to a prolonged struggle by farmers primarily led by the community. BJP insiders said Jakhar could soon be rewarded with a Rajya Sabha berth and a key responsibility in the effort to strengthen the BJP in Punjab.

              Source: The Telegraph

  • Punjab rift widens as new Cong chief Sidhu parades MLAs in show of strength

    Punjab rift widens as new Cong chief Sidhu parades MLAs in show of strength

    Amritsar (TIP) : Newly appointed Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu met several lawmakers, ministers and leaders on Wednesday, July 21, in a significant show of strength by the cricketer-turned-politician who is locked in a bitter conflict with chief minister Amarinder Singh over control of the party.

    The leaders, including four cabinet ministers, Sidhu’s predecessor Sunil Jakhar, and other senior functionaries, gathered at Sidhu’s residence in Amritsar, before travelling to the Golden Temple and other shrines. Visuals showed large crowds with no masks or distancing at the Sikh holy shrine, with Sidhu surrounded by other leaders. They paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and Akal Takht amid a heavy rush of devotees. The leaders also offered prayers at two prominent local Hindu shrines, Durgiana Temple and Ram Tirath Temple.

    Sidhu’s camp claimed that at least 62 of the Congress’s 80 MLAs attended the visit but state intelligence agencies put the number closer to 42. The state goes to the polls in early 2022.

    Sidhu avoided the media but minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said, “We have not counted how many MLAs have turned up today, nor was it a show of strength. All have come to pay obeisance at Sri Darbar Sahib which is not a place of holding such show.”

    The development came a day after Singh’s aides said the chief minister won’t meet Sidhu until the latter apologised for his public attacks during the past month. On Wednesday, Sidhu’s associates made it clear that the former minister wasn’t going to budge.

    “After all he is president of the Pradesh Congress now. Apology for what? People are with Sidhu,” said Ghanaur MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur.

    Three former Aam Aadmi Party legislators who joined the Congress in Singh’s presence last month, and four newly appointed working presidents — Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Kuljit Singh Nagra, Pawan Goel and Sangat Singh Gilzian – also attended the event.

    Sidhu was named the state unit chief on Sunday as part of a revamp plan that involved appointing four working presidents from different communities, overriding strong objections by Singh. An upset Singh has not publicly commented on the appointment nor met Sidhu since, indicating that the acrimonious factionalism that roiled the party since May remains unresolved.