3 Ludhiana BJP leaders join SAD

Shivani Bhakoo

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 20

Sore over the party’s leadership at the state level and failing to find a concrete way to make farmers satisfied in the state, three senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Kamal Chaitley, Mintu Sharma and RD Sharma, after resigning from the party late last evening, today joined the SAD under the leadership of Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Talking to The Tribune from Chandigarh, Kamal Chaitley said they were perturbed over the manner things were being handled at the state level by the party.

“Now, the state BJP leadership is in the hands of immature people who do not portray the real picture of the state at the Centre. It was the main reason why we have left the BJP after serving it for many years,” he said.

Chaitley said he, along with others, have joined the SAD because they know the working of the party and had a huge respect for Parkash Singh Badal.

“Our party had an alliance with the SAD for long but it is unfortunate that now the BJP has failed to understand what people of the state want. It failed to take up the matter of farmers in a proper manner. Traders in the state are in a bad state and there is unrest among them. The industry has come to a standstill. The BJP should have taken all these matters with their government at the Centre and the latter should have resolved these issues but things are not being managed properly,” said Chaitley, adding that in days to come, many more people would join the SAD.

“We have joined the SAD because we have seen the party working for the welfare of the state and Punjabis,” Chaitley added.