Akali leader Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, brother join BJP

New Delhi, April 9

Former Shiromani Akali Dal stalwart and ex-Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha Charanjit Singh Atwal’s son Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal today joined the BJP in the presence of party’s top brass led by Union ministers Hardeep Puri and Som Prakash, former Gujarat CM and Punjab unit in-charge Vijay Rupani, national general secretary Tarun Chugh and state chief Ashwani Sharma.

Modi’s governance model praised

I am joining the BJP impressed by the governance model of the government at the Centre through the last mile implementation of various welfare schemes. — Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal

Inder Atwal, former vice-president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, joined the BJP along with his brother Jasjit Singh Atwal. Both accepted the primary membership of the party.

Lauding PM Narendra Modi’s governance model, Inder Iqbal Atwal credited him for the reopening of the Kartarpur corridor and for what he described as “implementation of BR Ambedkar’s ideas in letter and spirit”.

“If there is anyone implementing the ideas and ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar in social and economic sense, it is the government of PM Narendra Modi. I am joining the BJP impressed by the governance model of the government at the Centre through the last mile implementation of various welfare schemes,” said Atwal, who represents Mazhabi Sikhs within the Punjab’s vast SC segment.

Atwal pledged to work for the expansion of the BJP and its ideology. “I am honoured for the opportunity to work in the largest political party of the world. We will work day and night to strengthen the BJP in Punjab under the guidance of the party leadership. We will take along the entire Sikh society, people of every religion and community and return Punjab on to the path of peace and progress,” Atwal said.

Union Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri said, “Today, the BJP is not just the largest political party in India, but it is the largest party in the world. Day by day, leaders are joining us from Punjab and South India because of the new governance model of PM Modi. This model signifies that good governance is also good politics. The result of the implementation of government schemes is the formation of double-engine governments in state after state,” Puri said.

The BJP has been consistently inducting leaders as part of its electoral expansion in hitherto tough states—Punjab in North India; Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Telangana in South India.

Puri praised Charanjit Singh Atwal for his contribution to Indian politics. “I am personally very happy to welcome his son into the BJP. This will strengthen us,” he said. The economic neglect of Punjab would be addressed in the coming days, he added.

Vijay Rupani said, “The people of Punjab are frustrated with the AAP rule. The state’s situation is deteriorating daily. People are joining the BJP because they trust PM Modi’s development model and believe that he alone can save Punjab and ensure that it flourishes.”