BSP’s former Punjab chief Jasvir Singh Garhi joins AAP

Jasvir Singh Garhi, former state president of BSP, joined AAP on January 1, in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Garhi was expelled from BSP on November 5, 2023, on charges of indiscipline, specifically for speaking out against the party’s leaders.

Garhi, who had contested the 2022 assembly poll from the Phagwara constituency on a BSP ticket, was accompanied by two other BSP leaders, Gurlal Saila and Dr Jaspreet, who also joined AAP. Following his expulsion, BSP had appointed Avtar Singh Karimpuri as the new Punjab unit president.

Garhi said, “BSP, which was the garden of dreams of Sahib Kanshi Ram, is today in disarray. I ventured out of the grave, in which BSP had buried me, today to join AAP.”

He added that BSP is no more acting as the gardener of the dreams of Kanshi Ram and Dr Ambedkar while AAP, on the other hand, has taken Ambedkar and Babasaheb’s ideology to every office and workplace. AAP has furthered its ideology of protecting the oppressed and representing their voice. That is why I have joined the party.”

The development comes after speculations about Garhi’s potential joining had been circulating for the past 15 days. His formal induction into AAP took place after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s return.