Jalandhar MP Sushil Kumar Rinku, the lone Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Lok Sabha member, has switched allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), dealing a blow to the AAP. Along with him, party MLA Sheetal Angural, who represents the Jalandhar West constituency in the state Assembly, also joined the BJP. The move was made official in the presence of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and BJP's national general secretary Vinod Tawde.
Rinku cited the development of Punjab, particularly his Parliamentary constituency, as the primary reason for his decision to join the BJP. He criticized the AAP-led state government for allegedly not assisting him in his development endeavors.
Expressing admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rinku commended the Union government's development initiatives. His decision to switch parties comes just days after his name was included in AAP's first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls from Punjab, where he was fielded from Jalandhar.
Rinku had initially quit the Congress to join AAP last year, specifically to contest the by-poll for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat. Now, the BJP is expected to nominate him in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as the party aims to consolidate its position in Punjab with 13 constituencies.
Notably, Rinku's tenure as an AAP Lok Sabha MP was marked by controversy, including his suspension from the House during the Monsoon session of Parliament for disruptive behavior related to the Manipur violence issue in August last year. He was suspended after throwing papers at the Chair following the passage of the Delhi services bill in the Lok Sabha.
