CHANDIGARH: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday installed 76-year-old Kewal Singh Dhillon as its first-ever Jat Sikh president of the state unit in Punjab.
Declaring that his agenda would focus on farmers' welfare, industrial revival, and combating the drug menace, Dhillon took charge as the saffron party prepares to contest the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections on its own.
The industrialist-turned-politician formally assumed office amid a symbolic blend of traditional 'ardaas' and Sanatan Dharma 'puja' rituals. The ceremony was underscored by the installation of a portrait of 19th-century ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh inside the state chief's office. The former Congress MLA from Barnala joined the BJP in 2022.
In his maiden speech after taking over, Dhillon said he had previously succeeded against several odds and added that the party had already achieved a significant milestone by “winning the capital.”
“We have won the capital. Thanks to earlier leaders like Sunil Jakhar and Ashwani Kumar, the platform is ready,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the BJP would form the next government in Punjab in 2027.
Describing farmers as the backbone of the state, Dhillon highlighted Haryana’s procurement policies and welfare schemes, promising that a BJP government in Punjab would encourage crop diversification and provide assured support and procurement for alternative crops such as pulses and maize.
“Haryana is giving MSP. We will give MSP on all crops. We will give incentives in diversification,” he said.
He also recalled his role in bringing industry to the region and pointed to the lack of focus on attracting high-technology industries, including semiconductor manufacturing, to the state.
“I brought Pepsi Cola and potato chips units here… we will bring more agri-based industry. Agriculture is raw material. We can make so much from it. Like we are making potato chips,” he said, emphasising value addition in agriculture.
Dhillon also outlined an industrial roadmap for Punjab, promising to replicate Taiwan’s success through high-tech manufacturing.
“We will have industries of semiconductor and make Punjab like Taiwan, which has thrived on such an industry,” he declared.
He also raised concerns over drug abuse. “Drugs have destroyed families, killed many sons,” he said, promising a firm crackdown alongside development initiatives.
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, outgoing state chief Sunil Jakhar, working president Ashwani Sharma, veteran leader Manoranjan Kalia, former minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, and Member of Parliament Satnam Singh Sandhu shared the stage.
Former Union Minister and ex-Member of Parliament Preneet Kaur was also present on the stage. Her presence was seen as a deliberate move to maintain a family representation, particularly after her husband and former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh publicly distanced himself from the appointment by stating that Dhillon was not his confidant and questioning his recent electoral track record.
The event was an attempt by the Punjab BJP to project a united face, as traditional BJP leaders and former Congress leaders who had joined the saffron party gathered together at the Punjab BJP headquarters, which was packed with rural and urban party workers.
Speaking on the occasion, outgoing Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar said:
“Organisational transitions are a sign of a healthy, evolving party. I welcome Kewal Singh Dhillon ji to this responsibility. The foundation we have built over the last three years to make the BJP an independent force in Punjab will now be carried forward with renewed vigour. My support remains fully with the leadership.”
Jakhar also criticised attempts to divide society along religious and caste lines.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini joined the preliminary religious rituals but chose not to share the political stage during the main leadership addresses.
As traditional BJP leaders were being sidelined, state unit working president and veteran party leader Ashwani Kumar Sharma, who has deep RSS roots, said it was “we” and “us” in the BJP, not “I”.
He reminded party members that the contributions of long-serving karyakartas (party workers) should not be forgotten.
“The work of a karyakarta never ends. Posts come and go. When Dhillon was made president, many asked me about my fate. I said then, and I say again, that I would be willing to pick up a broom and clean the streets,” he said.
Traditional BJP leaders, many of whom rose through the RSS and spent decades within the party, now find themselves increasingly outnumbered in key visible roles, fuelling murmurs of discontent within the state unit.
