Kajal welcomed in Kangra, local BJP leaders stay away

Dharamsala, August 18

Kangra MLA Pawan Kajal, who joined the BJP yesterday, was today welcomed by his supporters in Kangra and Gaggal. BJP Dharamsala MLA Vishal Nehria and former AAP leader Rakesh Chaudhary, who also joined the BJP recently, were among those who welcomed Kajal.

However, leaders of Kangra, including former MLA Sanjay Chaudhary and Ramesh Brar and Surinder Kaku, skipped the function.

Kajal, while talking to mediapersons, said he had joined the BJP after being impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The nation was following Modi so what was wrong if he had joined the party. Besides, national president of the BJP JP Nadda was from Himachal and it was a matter of pride for every resident of the state.

Sources said when Kajal was asked to join the BJP, he laid certain conditions which included the allotment of certain development projects, including a hospital for remote area of his constituency. The BJP had accepted his demands and the Chief Minister was likely to announce projects soon.

Kajal had contested the first Assembly election in 2012 as an Independent candidate. He defeated both Congress and BJP candidates. Under the influence of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, he later joined the Congress and contested the 2017 elections on the party ticket and won. The party had also fielded him from Kangra in the 2019 parliamentary elections. However, he lost the elections by a margin of 4.77 lakh votes.

The Congress has now appointed Chander Kumar, a veteran OBC leader from Jawali, as working president of the HPCC.

MLA Rana gets lukewarm response

• Nalagarh MLA Lakhwinder Rana got a lukewarm welcome on his return on Thursday after joining the BJP in Delhi.
• Some of his supporters in the Congress and a handful of BJP workers were present to welcome him.
• BJP’s district president Ashutosh Vaidya was present along with his supporters to welcome Rana.
• Rana had faced opposition in the BJP earlier also when HN Saini was MLA.
• Rana was denied the ticket for the byelection after Saini’s death and so he joined the Congress.