4-time Patiala MP Preneet Kaur joins BJP

New Delhi, March 14

Four-time Lok Sabha member from Punjab and suspended Congress leader Preneet Kaur on Thursday joined the BJP at a high-profile event attended by top saffron brass, including three national general secretaries — Vinod Tawde, Tarun Chugh and Arun Singh.

After joining the BJP, Preneet (79) said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the only leader and the BJP the only party that could secure the future of India and its people. After accepting BJP’s primary membership, she met party president JP Nadda.

BJP’s Punjab affairs in-charge and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar were also present on the occasion.

Preneet, set to contest Patiala Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket, said time had come to strengthen the BJP to achieve the goal of ‘viksit Bharat’ by 2047.

“This is a party that can raise India’s global profile and ensure a brighter future for our country,” she said.

She was accompanied by daughter Jai Inder. Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, could not attend the event due to some personal reasons.

Meanwhile, Tawde said the joining was another endorsement of the PM’s leadership.

“The joining of Preneet Kaur will strengthen the party in Punjab and contribute to the development of the state, aligning it with the vision of Prime Minister Modi,” he said. Preneet was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1999 and re-elected in 2004, 2009 and 2019.

She was Punjab MLA from 2014 and 2017 and Minister of State for External Affairs from 2009 to 2012 in the Congress-led UPA government.