Chandigarh: Signalling that he is among the tallest leaders in the Congress, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ahead of his meeting with the party high command in New Delhi on Thursday inducted three AAP rebel legislators — Sukhpal Khaira, Pirmal Singh and Jagdev Singh Kamalu — into the party.
The Congress-ruled in the heading for the assembly elections likely in March next year.
“Chief Minister @capt_amarinder Singh before leaving for Delhi today welcomed @SukhpalKhaira MLA and former Leader of Opposition and his two AAP MLA colleagues namely Jagdev Singh Kamalu, MLA Maur and Pirmal Singh Dhaula, MLA Bhadaur into the party fold,” the Punjab Congress informed in a tweet.
Firebrand Khaira, once the hard critique of Amarinder Singh, had quit the Congress and joined the AAP in December 2015. He was elected from the Bholath assembly seat in 2017.
However, Khaira, a former leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly, resigned from the primary membership of the AAP in January 2019 and had also floated his own outfit, the Punjabi Ekta Party. Other two MLAs, Kamalu and Dhaula, are first-timers.
Patiala Member of Parliament and Chief Minister’s wife, Preneet Kaur, was present during their simple joining ceremony.
Amarinder Singh was summoned in Delhi to meet the Congress committee looking to resolve infighting in the Punjab unit.
The Chief Minister said the induction of the three legislators has been approved by Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
“Since the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Punjab, Harish Rawat, and state unit chief Sunil Jakhar are busy in the consultation process with the three-member committee in Delhi, their blessings will be sought in a few days,” the Chief Minister said.
