The Congress party suffered a big jolt today with formerMLA and Punjab Water Resources Management and Development Board Chairman JagbirSingh Brar joining the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the presence of partyPresident Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal welcomed Mr Jagbir Brar into theparty fold and announced he would be the party candidate from JalandharCantonment seat. He also announced that Mr Brar had been appointed generalsecretary of the SAD.
This is a major setback to the Congress party afterNavjot Sidhu was appointed Punjab Congress President.
Earlier addressing newsmen, Mr. Badal said people werefed up from misrule of the Congress party as it had not fulfilled a singlepromise made to the people. He said Capt. Amarinder Singh took a false oath onthe Gutka Sahib to befool Punjabis on the eve of the 2017 elections and madetall promises including ghar ghar naukri and complete loan waiver for farmersbesides others.
Lashing out at AAP Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Mr.Arvind Kejriwal, Mr. Badal said that he was also trying to mislead people with big announcements even though hehad failed to deliver on any of the promises made to the people of Delhi. Hesaid in Delhi major services including Police and others are under CentralGovernment and still the AAP government has failed to deliver. He said Kejriwalwas spending as much as Rs. 600 crore for self publicity and continued tomislead people. “Even if Kejriwal makes a single Mohalla clinic he propagatesit as if he has come out with a service covering the entire State”.
Coming down heavily on Navjot Sidhu for indulging incheap theatrics, Mr. Badal said Punjab needed a serious leadership to upliftthe State and not theatrical tamashas like that being done by Sidhu as well asAAP State Convener Bhagwant Mann. He also announced the appointment of formersenior deputy Mayor Kamaljit Singh Bhatia as Vice President of the party.
Speaking on the occasion, senior party leader BikramSingh Majithia said Jagbir Brar had always worked for the welfare of the peopleas well as development of his area and his homecoming would benefit the SAD notonly in Jalandhar Cantonment but in the entire State.
Mr Majithia said the Congress was a divided house inPunjab with one group led by Navjot Sidhu and another by Capt. Amarinder Singh.He said Sidhu had even surpassed Mithun Chakarborty in entertaining people.“With his theatrics he may be able to do cheap comedy but he cannot misleadpeople with his false claims. People are already making a mockery of him onsocial media for claiming he will provide power at Rs. 3 per unit once theCongress forms a government again in the State. “Which party’s government is inpower in the State now? Why doesn’t he ensure power at the rate of Rs 3 perunit now ?”, he asked.
Speaking on the occasion Jagbir Singh Brar disclosed thathe was offered plum posts to prevent him from joining the SAD but he hadrefused everything as he was convinced the SAD alone was committed to pursuinga pro- poor agenda and taking all sections of society with it towards the pathof progress. He also disclosed that all welfare schemes including the Atta Dalscheme and Shagun scheme as well as free power for agriculture sector had beenstarted by SAD led governments headed by S. Parkash Singh Badal.
He also sharedthat ever since he was a child he used to hear how Mr Parkash Singh Badal usedto go out of the way to help the poor and repressed sections of society. Healso lashed out at Congress leader Pargat Singh and said Pargat had startedcriticising Capt. Amarinder Singh after enjoying the fruits of power for fourand a half years. “Pargat did the same during the erstwhile SAD led government.Like earlier, even this time he has done nothing for the people”, Mr JagbirBrar added.
Other senior leaders present on the occasion includedPawan Teenu, Gurpartap Singh Wadala and Baldev Singh Khaira all MLAs, KulwantSingh Manan, Bibi Gurdev Kaur Sangha, Olympian Rajbir Kaur & BSP StateGeneral Secretary Balwinder Singh.