Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Jalandhar MP Sushil Kumar Rinku and MLA Sheetal Angural from Jalandhar West switched allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri warmly welcomed them to the BJP fold, expressing optimism about the changing scenario in Punjab.
“BJP is the largest political party in the world. People from different walks of life are joining our family...I welcome Sushil Kumar Rinku and Sheetal Angural to the party...The situation is changing in Punjab and we all will work together to make India developed by 2047," he said.
Sushil Kumar Rinku, who secured victory in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat in a by-election in 2023 by defeating Congress leader Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary with a significant margin of nearly 60,000 votes. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's leadership and expressed determination to focus on Jalandhar's development by leveraging Central Government projects.
"It is true that the promises I made to the people of Jalandhar were not fulfilled because my party (AAP) did not support me. I am impressed with the working style of PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah," he said.