New Delhi, Sep 19: Former chief minister Amarinder Singh joined the BJP here on Monday and merged his Punjab Lok Congress with it, saying it was time for him to go to the party that is looking after the country’s interests and security.
Singh (80) joined the BJP at its headquarters in the presence of Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Kiren Rijiju along with several Punjab leaders. His son Raninder Singh and daughter Jai Inder Kaur also joined the saffron party.
In his remarks, the two-time former Punjab chief minister with a long association with the Congress before he quit it last year highlighted his security concerns for Punjab amid “increasing animosity” with Pakistan, something he has been seeing with “growing dismay”.
“Now is the time to do something for the country. We have seen the Congress, now it is time to go to the party which has been doing so much for the country and its security. It is a pleasure being here,” he told a press conference.
He also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda after the joining ceremony.
Noting that Chinese border is also a short flight away from Chandigarh, Punjab’s capital, Singh said the state is hemmed in by two hostile countries and that China is way ahead of India in weaponry. He blamed the Congress for the gap, saying no weapon was added to India’s security apparatus when A K Antony was the defence minister.