Former Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra on Saturday joined AAP in the presence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
A former Shiromani Akali Dal leader, Rakhra had joined the SAD (Punar Surjit), a breakaway faction of the party.
Welcoming the former minister and his brother Charanjit Singh Rakhra into the party, Mann said, “Surjit Singh Rakhra had every opportunity to focus on expanding his business and personal interests, but he chose the path of serving common people.”
Rakhra’s joining has the bells ringing in AAP as he enjoys considerable support in Samana, represented by AAP MLA Chetan Singh Jouramajra. Interestingly, Jouramajra was also present on the stage.
Earlier Mann said that Rakhra repeatedly tried to reform the Shiromani Akali Dal from within, but the party had gone astray and fallen into the wrong hands.
“People had already rejected the Akali leadership because of their role in sacrilege incidents and anti-people politics,” he stated.
“The Shiromani Akali Dal has weakened to such an extent that even forming committees has become difficult for them,” Mann said.
Addressing the gathering, Rakhra said, “My decision to leave the Shiromani Akali Dal was directly linked to the issue of ‘beadbi’ and the newly enacted anti-sacrilege law.”
He said, “For nearly a year and a half, I regularly visited the Samana Morcha, where Gurjeet Singh Khalsa had been protesting atop a 400-ft tower demanding strict legislation against sacrilege. I strongly felt that such a law was necessary.”
Rakhra said Mann asked him to support AAP if their government enacted a strong anti-sacrilege law.
“I had promised that if such a law was passed, I would have no hesitation in joining AAP,” he said.
“Previous governments failed to enact an effective law because of a lack of political will, whereas the Bhagwant Mann government fulfilled the long-standing demand. Once the law was passed, I had to honour my commitment,” he added.
