Punjab: Sukhpal Singh Khaira, two other rebel AAP MLAs join Congress fold

CHANDIGARH: Amid the troubleshooting exercise on in Delhi to end the infighting in the Punjab Congress, Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira joined the party along with rebel AAP MLAs Pirmal Singh and Jagdev Singh Kamalu in the presence of state chief minister Amarinder Singh at the latter’s residence on Thursday.
Khaira said it was a political blunder to join the AAP in 2015, and said that ahead of the last Assembly elections, the then Congress campaign strategist Prashant Kishor had asked him to return to the party and had even promised him a Cabinet berth.
"Amarinder Singh, before leaving for Delhi, welcomed former leader of opposition Sukhpal Khaira as well as Maur MLA Jagdev Singh Kamalu and Bhadaur MLA Pirmal Singh Dhaula into the party fold," a Congress tweet said.
Khaira said, "Congress is the only viable platform to fight the fanatic and fascist BJP at the national level and the only option to prevent the corrupt and anti-Punjab Badal family from hijacking the state."
He also spoke of his efforts to create a Punjab-centric regional force.
While praising Sonia Gandhi and Amarinder Singh, Khaira took the opportunity to hit out at both Akalis and AAP, calling AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal a "pseudo revolutionary, who was nothing but a dictator and B-team of the RSS-BJP."
Punjab CM with the rebel AAP MLAs after they joined Congress
Khaira hits out at Kejri, Badals
The MLA alleged that Kejriwal always worked against the “spirit of federalism”.
Khaira further alleged that Kejriwal had an "antiminority mindset" and had failed to explain how and where the party spent the hundreds of crores collected worldwide from Punjabi NRIs.
He also accused Badals of “building their vast empire through ill-gotten wealth and nefariously working to destroy the ethos and glory of the Sikhs as a community.”
After quitting the Congress, Khaira had joined the AAP in December 2015. He was elected from Bholath Assembly seat in 2017 on AAP ticket. He later resigned from the primary membership of the AAP in January 2019 and had also floated his own outfit, Punjabi Ekta Party.
Replying to questions, Khaira said, “I will continue to raise the issue of sacrilege in Congress and liquor mafia.”
Amarinder said the induction of said three senior leaders has been approved by party president Sonia Gandhi.
He said since the AICC general secretary (incharge Punjab) Harish Rawat and PPCC president Sunil Jakhar were busy in the consultation process with the threemember committee at Delhi their blessings would be sought in a few days’ time.
The chief minister said that he was of the firm opinion that the Congress party stands strengthened with the joining of Khaira and his colleagues.