Punjab: jolt to state unit of aap; two leaders quit party to join shiromani akali dal

Both of them joined the SAD the presence of party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal. In a jolt to the AAP, its two leaders H S Walia and C D Singh Kamboj today joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)

along with their supporters ahead of the Shahkot Assembly bypoll scheduled to be held on May 28. Both of them joined the SAD the presence of party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal. Welcoming Kamboj

into the party fold, Badal said the senior leader was known for his statesmanlike conduct and strategic thinking, and with his joining, the SAD would be strengthened not only in Doaba belt,

but also in entire Punjab. Kamboj had been the president of BSP's Punjab unit and had also contested elections twice from Shahkot on Congress ticket. He quit Congress and joined AAP in

2015 and was the party spokesperson, besides being the president of the Kamboj Mahasabha. On the occasion, Kamboj said he joined the SAD to ensure the defeat of Congress' Hardev Singh

Laadi in the Assembly bye-election. Detailing how Laadi had "insulted" the Kamboj community after his 2017 Assembly election loss, he said, "The community is very upset with

him." "In fact, people with dubious reputation like Laadi are being rewarded with party tickets. This shows the moral bankruptcy of the Congress," Kamboj alleged. Earlier, AAP

leader H S Walia, who had contested 2017 Assembly polls from Jalandhar Cantonment seat, also joined SAD. Walia said he was joining the SAD due to its "pro-people" policies as well

as the party's desire to take all sections of society with it. "I earlier joined AAP because it professed idealism. However I slowly realised that the party had become thoroughly

corrupt and was not concerned about Punjabis and their problems. Moreover, AAP is being run from Delhi by Arvind Kejriwal who does not give any weightage to the local leadership," Walia

alleged. Welcoming Walia into the party fold, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the youth leader had made a name for himself in a short period of time and would be an asset for the SAD

in Jalandhar district. Walia would be duly adjusted in the party organisation and would be given important duties, he was quoted as saying in a release. The SAD president said the manner in

which both the Congress and the AAP leaders were joining the SAD was indicative of the functioning of the Congress government as well as complete disillusionment with the Aam Aadmi Party.

Badal said political leaders usually changed parties towards the fag end of any government's tenure, but presently leaders were "leaving the Congress in droves" because the

party had "lost all appeal among the masses" after reneging on promises made to the people. Notably, on May 17, senior Congress leader and former home minister Brij Bhupinder Singh

Lalli had joined the SAD