Flip-flop: Congress MLA Balwinder Singh Laddi back with BJP

Batala, February 11

Balwinder Singh Laddi, Congress MLA from Sri Hargobindpur, rejoined the BJP in the presence of party general secretary Tarun Chug here today.

On December 28 last year, he and Congress MLA from Qadian Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa had joined the BJP in the presence of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi.

Six days later, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi prevailed upon Laddi to rejoin the Congress.

Forced to return

The Congress doesn’t value its leaders. Therefore, I am forced to return to the BJP. I committed a blunder by joining back the Congress. —Balwinder Singh Laddi, MLA

Sources say he was promised a ticket from the Sri Hargobindpur segment.

The Congress, however, fielded low-profile leader and sarpanch Mandeep Singh Rangar Nangal, who is close to minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa.

Subsequently, Laddi had claimed that “he was feeling suffocated in the party set-up”.

After joining back the BJP today, he said: “The Congress doesn’t value its leaders. Therefore, I am forced to return to the BJP… I committed a blunder by joining back the Congress. Fateh Jung insisted that I return to the BJP fold. I feel the Congress had nothing to give to me and I had nothing to offer to the party. Hence, I parted ways. The BJP is a national party and its ideology appeals to me.”