- Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann's cousin Gyan Singh Mann joined BJP with three key leaders
- Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar welcomed defectors from AAP citing shattered hopes
- Jakhar condemned attacks on BJP offices in Punjab and warned officials of action
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's cousin Gyan Singh Mann joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with three other key figures. Along with him, Barnala-based businessman and NRI Baljinder Singh Barnala, as well as Manjinder Singh Sajan Khera, former PA to Jalalabad MLA Goldy Kamboj also joined the BJP.
Addressing a joint press conference with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar welcomed the leaders into the BJP and said they had originally joined AAP with hopes for change, but after seeing those dreams shattered, they had now decided to become part of the BJP family.
Condemning the attacks on BJP offices and workers in cities including Amritsar, Batala, Tarn Taran and Ludhiana, the BJP state president warned that "everyone will be held accountable". He specifically cautioned police and civil officers, reminding them that they are paid from the state treasury and are accountable to the people of Punjab, not to any political party. He said officials must work according to the law and warned that anyone misusing their position would face action at the appropriate time.
Addressing AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, Jakhar stated that attacks on BJP offices would not stop Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation raids. He asserted that wherever corruption has taken place, investigations will continue and every corrupt individual will eventually be brought to account.
Jakhar further said that AAP would not be allowed to create "Mamata Banerjee-style Bengal-like conditions" in Punjab. He alleged that BJP would strongly resist what he described as violence and intimidation allegedly being carried out by AAP with the support of the police machinery, and added that AAP's "goondaism" could not silence the voice of the people.
The BJP president said the party is fully prepared for the upcoming local body elections and that the people of Punjab are also ready to end what he termed as AAP's corrupt rule.
