Former SAD leader Jagdeep Cheema joins BJP

Former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Jagdeep Singh Cheema joined the BJP in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini here on Monday.

Cheema is the son of former Punjab minister Randhir Singh Cheema. He unsuccessfully contested assembly elections from Amloh in 2012 and Fatehgarh Sahib in 2022 on a SAD ticket.

Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu and Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma also attended Cheema’s joining ceremony.

Welcoming Cheema into the BJP, Sharma said people who want to see Punjab’s development and progress are keen to connect with the party.

Attacking the AAP government, he claimed it has done nothing for the development of Punjab since coming to power in 2022.

He said the Bhagwant Mann government has “failed” to keep its poll promise of giving Rs 1,000 per month to every woman in Punjab. The AAP has cheated women, he charged.

On the other hand, Sharma said, the Nayab Singh Saini government in Haryana is giving Rs 2,100 per month to eligible women under the Lado Lakshmi Yojana.

The Haryana government is also giving minimum support price (MSP) to farmers for all crops in the state.