Chandigarh: Four senior Congress leaders in Punjab, who were also former ministers, left the party to join BJP on Saturday. Slapping a big setback to the party leaders Raj Kumar Verka, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Sunder Sham Arora, and Gurpreet Singh Kangar were those who joined the saffron party, PTI reported.
Further Former Congress MLA Kewal Dhillon and former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLAs Sarup Chand Singla and Mohinder Kaur Josh also joined the BJP.
Those who migrated to the BJP were welcomed in the presence of Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Som Parkash, state unit chief Ashwani Sharma, and senior party leaders Dushyant Gautam, Tarun Chugh, Sunil Jakhar and Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
Balbir Sidhu was a three-time MLA from Mohali and has served as the health minister in the previous Congress state cabinet. His brother Amarjit Singh Sidhu, mayor of Mohali Corporation, also joined BJP. Gurpreet Kangar was also a three-time MLA from Rampura Phul and has served as the revenue minister. Even Verka, a leading Dalit leader of the Majha region, had become MLA thrice and was the minister for social justice and empowerment and minorities in the last Congress cabinet in the state.
Meanwhile, Sundar Sham Arora served as industry and commerce minister and was an ex-MLA from Hoshiarpur.,
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also landed in Chandigarh for a meeting with party leaders and to inaugurate Khelo India Youth Games in Panchkula in Haryana on Saturday.