CHANDIGARH: Former Member of Parliament Jagmeet Singh Brar who till recently was a sworn enemy of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) joined the party at Muktsar on Friday.
A bitter critic of Badals, Brar had often blamed SAD patron and five-time former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for the death of his father Gurmeet Singh Brar in 1977.
After joining, Brar said, "Akali Dal gives me an opportunity to further my objectives of Sikhism and Punjab as at every step of my life I have raised the issues of people and will continue to do so. The reason is I live in people.''
He further said,"I have always been emotionally and ideologically much closer to the Panthic and pro-Punjab agenda and conduct of the Shiromani Akali Dal than to the Congress or any other outfit in
the country."
Brar said that Parkash Singh Badal had always been his role model in politics.
“Political leaders across the political spectrum in the country need to learn a lot from Badal’s self-effacing humility, his dedication and commitment to the Panthic ideals and his tireless work for the cause of the poor, the farmers and the unemployed youth. He is the tallest statesman in the country today and a messiah for all-round development. Even when opposed to him along party lines, I have always respected his class and have always been inspired by his discipline, hard work and modesty,” he added.
"It is a historic day for the Akali Dal as Brar most experienced politician has joined the party,’’ said Parkash Singh Badal who was there at the function where Brar joined the party.
Jagmeet Brar said, "I have always been emotionally and ideologically much closer to the Panthic and pro-Punjab agenda and conduct of the Shiromani Akali Dal than to the Congress or any other outfit in
the country.’’
Brar said that Parkash Singh Badal had always been his role model in politics.
“Political leaders across the political spectrum in the country need to learn a lot from Badal’s self-effacing humility, his dedication and commitment to the Panthic ideals and his tireless work for the cause of the poor, the farmers and the unemployed youth. He is the tallest statesman in the country today and a messiah for all-round development. Even when opposed to him along party lines, I have always respected his class and have always been inspired by his discipline, hard work and modesty,” said
Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said, "It's just one more decisive indicator of the prevailing mood of the people of Punjab that which way political winds in the state are blowing.
Another massive blow to the hateful propaganda of SAD's opponents.’’
Reacting to Brar joining SAD Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said Brar was apparently desperate to get back into politics and had decided to go with the Badals, whom he promised “to fix in Punjab” if the Congress agreed to take him back. He said that Brar had a political agenda to further and was ready to do it by hook or by crook.
The former MP had for the last several weeks been trying unabashedly to get into the Congress but, with the party high command refusing to intervene and he (Amarinder) himself not responding to any of Brar’s desperate messages, the former MP had decided to throw his weight behind the SAD, said Amarinder and added that Brar had decided to throw himself at the feet of the very Badals whom he was promising “to fix” after his (Chief Minister’s) persistent refusal to acknowledge and respond to the former MP’s desperate messages.
In 2014, the Congress has suspended Brar following his remarks against the then party president Sonia Gandhi and then vice president Rahul Gandhi as he had asked them to take a two-year break from politics after the party's worst-ever debacle in parliamentary elections.
After he was suspended he tried to join the BJP and also Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) but could not manage to do so. In 2015, his suspension was revoked by Sonia Gandhi but again in 2016 for indiscipline he was expelled from the party. Then he joined the Trinamool Congress but later left it.