Lok Insaaf Party will extend support to BJP in Jalandhar Lok Sabha polls: Former AAP ally Simarjit Bains

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, April 30

In a fillip to the BJP in state, following speculations for days that he might join the Bharatiya Janata Party, Simarjit Singh Bains, president of the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP), on Sunday announced his party’s support to BJP candidate Inder Iqbal Atwal in the upcoming Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll.

With just 10 days to go for bypoll, Bains declared that the Bains brothers and the entire LIP cadre will support the BJP and canvass for the party candidate at the grassroots level in the coming bypoll to make BJP victorious, Bains said the decision had been taken in view of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s respect for Sikhs and for the ‘dastaar’ (turban).

Praising the central government under PM Modi, Bains condemned his former ally AAP, saying, “I might have been part of an alliance with them but was never part of the loot.”

Bains also just stopped short of joining the BJP as he announced his will campaign for the BJP in the bypoll, will extend support in the 2024 and 2027 elections and also in the Ludhaina MC polls and will also in the party if the leadership asks him to.

Speaking at a press conference in Jalandhar, accompanied by former Gujarat CM and senior BJP leader Vijay Rupani, Bains said, “The Lok Insaaf party has decided to extend support to BJP candidate Inder Iqbal Atwal in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s love for Punjabis, especially Sikhs – witnessed in the the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor and the declaration of the Veer Bal Diwas.”

“Modi Sahib da Punjab prati aur khaas kar ke Sikhan prati pyaar aur dastar prati shardha nu vekhke LIP ne eh faisla leya” (We have taken the decision seeing the Prime Minister’s love for Sikhs and his respect for the turban),” he said.

He also said he first expressed respect for BJP when he voted for former President Ram Nath Kovind to be made president as the LIP was very impressed with a Dalit with an illustrious history being chosen by the BJP.

He added, “We are grassrooters (grassroots workers). We are not doing this for political mileage.”

Bains said the only cadre based party in the country which is not controlled by a single individual or personality is the BJP. “It is my heart’s desire that BJP may form government in the state. We have 9-10 days. We will work at the grassroots level and take Atwal Sahib to victory. Even in 2024 and 2027, a party which can provide good governance to the people is BJP. In the Ludhiana MC elections also ‘BJP da jhanda charhavange’ (we will work to get the BJP victorious). I pray to Waheguru that the mission for which we have started, we may succeed in it,” he added.

When asked if he would be joining the BJP, Bains said, “If they ask me, I will join it.” To a query on forming alliance with the BJP, he said, “As I told you, I’m very impressed with the BJP.”

Targeting the AAP — with which the LIP formerly had an alliance, Bains repeatedly referred to the party as “Duplicate Krantikari”. He said, “People make the obvious comparison. They saw 10 years of Akalis, 5 years of Congress and now Duplicate Krantikaris. I was with them but wasn’t part and parcel of their ‘thaggi’ (loot). Now people’s hearts have inclined to the BJP.”