International Kabaddi player Gurlal Ghanaur on Monday joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections.
AAP state president and Member of Parliament Bhagwant Mann, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly, Harpal Singh Cheema and Delhi MLA and co-in charge of Punjab affairs Raghav Chadha formally inducted and Gurlal Ghanaur and his associates at the party headquarters here in Chandigarh.
On the occasion, Bhagwant Mann said: "Today due to the anti-people policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Captain Amarinder Singh, sportspersons, lawyers, journalists and social activists from all walks of life are joining our party."
The Assembly elections in Punjab are due next year.
Mann said that Ghanaur's induction will strengthen the party. "Gurlal Ghanaur has resigned from the post of assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Punjab Police to serve the people of Punjab," he said.
Raghav Chadha said: "Gurlal Ghanaur would raid his opponents in the field of politics just like he did in Kabaddi and the service rendered to Punjab by Gurlal Ghanaur through the game of Kabaddi has been instilled in the hearts of the people of Punjab."
After joining the party, Gurlal Ghanaur said that he was impressed by the development work and policies of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP government in Delhi.
"There was a need for political change in Punjab as the policies of the Punjab government were not towards the respect of the players," he said.
He also added that a cash prize of up to Rs 3 lakh was given by the Haryana government for playing as a representative of the state of Haryana, but in Punjab, the player is paid a meagre amount.
( With inputs from ANI )
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