Former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, five days after quitting party. Jakhar was inducted by BJP national president JP Nadda at the party headquarters in New Delhi. Welcoming the former Congress leader, Nadda said: "I welcome Sunil Jakhar to the BJP. He is an experienced political leader who made a name for himself during his political career. I am confident he will play a big role in strengthening the party in Punjab."He said Jakhar had enjoyed a special stature in Punjab that was independent of the Congress party and helped strengthen nationalist forces."BJP is emerging as the number one nationalist force in Punjab. Hence, it is necessary for all leaders having nationalist ideology to join the BJP to strengthen the party and for a stronger Punjab," Nadda said.
Jakhar, a three-term MLA and a former Lok Sabha member from Gurdaspur, became emotional as he recalled the five-decade association of his family with the Congress."It is not easy to break a relationship with the Congress that spanned three generations – from 1972 till now. We had been with the Congress in good times and bad," said Jakhar.Jakhar said he was heartbroken at being removed from all party posts by the Congress disciplinary committee following allegations of anti-party activities against him by certain Punjab unit leaders.He also blamed Congress MP Ambika Soni’s statement on the “repercussions of having a Hindu chief minister in Punjab” for the party’s drubbing in the state assembly polls earlier this year.On Rahul Gandhi, Jakhar praised the former Congress president as a “good person” and appealed to him to once again take command of the party while keeping a distance from “chaploos log” (sycophants).