Amarinder Singh also merged his Punjab Lok Congress with the BJP.
New Delhi:
Former Leader of Parliament, Captain Amarinder Singh today joined the main rival of the old party, the BJP. Preneet Kaur, Singh’s wife, remains a member of Parliament. The veteran leader sees no anomalies with the pair now in rival parties.
Mr Singh, 81, hit back when asked if his wife would not join the BJP.
Preneet Kaur served as Grassroots Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Manmohan Singh Government from 2009-2014.
Ms. Kaur is currently the incumbent Member of Parliament from Patiala. Congress did not ask her to resign, nor did she ask for her resignation.
“It suits both of them because Congress knows if they ask her to resign the seat will be elected by election and that will benefit the AAP so both are silent,” a senior leader said. BJP’s senior told NDTV.
Margaret Alva, the opposition Party’s candidate for the recently held Vice Presidential poll, also took a blow for Mr Singh.
“Mrs Preneet Kaur is clearly much more sensitive than the Captain!” tweeted Miss Alva.
Amarinder Singh joins BJP with son Raninder Singh, daughter Jai Inder Kaur, grandson Nirvan Singh.
People in the Congress party argue that Mr Singh went ahead and joined the BJP because there were many cases that went against many members of his family.
“Once a person joins the BJP then all your sins are forgiven, so he is also trying to save his family,” a senior congressional leader said.
The former Parliamentary Minister floated his party at the Punjab Lok Congress last year and contested parliamentary elections with the BJP but was unable to win a single seat. In fact, he lost his own seat from Patiala to AAP.
This is not the first time Mr Singh has merged his political party with another leading party.
This time, he merged his Punjab Lok Congress – born after a bitter break with the Congress – with the BJP.
Before that, Mr. Singh’s Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic) joined the National Assembly in 1998.
“It was time to join a party that cared about the interests of the country, shortly after he was welcomed into the party by Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Narendra Singh Tomar at the BJP headquarters in Delhi,” Singh said.
Although earlier reports said that Interior Minister Amit Shah would encourage him.
Mr Singh also attacked Parliament from the BJP podium while addressing the media. “Congress is responsible for the deteriorating security situation in the country,” he said. “When Parliament was in power, Mr. AK Antony did not purchase a single weapon and it is currently being repaired under his leadership,” he said. by Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.
In joining Amarinder Singh, the BJP now has a prominent figure of Sikhism in Punjab, who has been active in state politics for more than five decades.
“The BJP will be strong in Punjab because of Captain Amarinder Singh’s image as a secular nationalist Sikh leader. Hindus also like him so how strong the support is only time will tell but its effect will be in Punjab and it will strengthen the BJP,” said Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju while welcoming Mr Singh.
