Former BJP minister Anil Joshi joins Akali Dal

Chandigarh, Aug 20 (UNI) Senior BJP leaders, including former minister Anil Joshi, on Friday joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) here after quitting their parent party in support of farmers and their cause.
The leaders were welcomed into the SAD by its President Sukhbir Singh Badal and the senior party leadership at a function attended by a large number of supporters of the BJP leaders who came here from all parts of Punjab.
Terming the induction of the senior BJP leaders into the SAD fold as a historic event, Mr Badal said the joining of former minister Anil Joshi and other senior BJP leaders into the SAD had sent a clear message to those trying to create insecurity amongst urbanites that SAD was committed to its vision of peace and communal harmony.
He said, “I will forfeit my life but won’t let peace and communal harmony of Punjab be destroyed at any cost”. He also led the party in passing a resolution dedicating the historic day to the Kisani Sangharsh as well as supreme sacrifice made by Sant Harchand Singh Longowal for the cause of communal harmony.
Asserting that Mr Anil Joshi was a courageous leader who had always done his utmost for his constituency as well as the holy city of Amritsar, Mr Badal announced that Mr Joshi had been appointed Senior Vice President of the party and would be fielded from the Amritsar North constituency as the joint SAD-BSP alliance candidate.
He also announced that former Sujanpur municipal committee President Raj Kumar Gupta had been appointed Vice President of the party and would be fielded as the joint SAD-BSP alliance candidate from Sujanpur.
Other leaders who were inducted into the SAD and given key posts include former Dasuya MLA Sukhjit Kaur Shahi, BJP State working committee member Kamal Chatly and former Ludhiana deputy Mayor R D Sharma as Vice Presidents.
Former BJP youth wing President Mohit Gupta who has been appointed General Secretary, former Fatehgarh Churian president Surinder Chhindi and TV Panelist Harjit Bhullar, former councilor Mintu Sharma, Amritsar councilor Aman Aery, Working Committee member Sumit Shastri Member, and Bathinda district cashier Vikram Lucky as Joint Secretaries and former State Secretary of Yuva Morcha as Senior Vice President Youth Akali Dal (YAD)