Parkash Badal’s cousin and longtime political adviser, Bhupinder Dhillon joins BJP

Former Punjab Chief Minister late Parkash Singh Badal’s cousin, Major (Retd) Bhupinder Singh Badal, who served as his political adviser for 25 years, on Monday joined the BJP in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. Photo released by Haryana DPR

Major (retd) Bhupinder Singh Dhillon, the cousin of former Punjab chief minister late Parkash Singh Badal, joined the BJP in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon on Monday.

Parkash Badal was a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch; Bhupinder Dhillon served as Badal’s political secretary for 25 years.

Bhupinder Singh’s son, Amarveer Singh Badal, the incumbent president of the Sanaur (Patiala) Municipal Council, also joined the saffron party.

The inductions took place at Saini’s official residence, ‘Sant Kabir Kutir’, in Chandigarh.

Saini welcomed all the leaders, including Bhupinder Dhillon and his son Amarveer Singh, to the BJP and said they would be given full respect and honour in the party. He said the party has further strengthened in Punjab.

On the occasion, Saini also said the BJP will emerge victorious in Punjab in the upcoming Assembly elections.

“Following the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP in the state will once again make Punjab the number one state in terms of development,” said Saini.

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Taking a dig at other parties, he said neither the Congress nor AAP had fulfilled their electoral promises. People have become so fed up with the corrupt practices that they are now looking towards the BJP with great hope.

Accusing Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann of passing time by cracking jokes, Saini said whenever people question him about the electoral promises, he starts telling jokes. “The Aam Aadmi Party is even two steps ahead of the Congress when it comes to failing to fulfil its promises.”

The Haryana CM also said that after the formation of a BJP government in Punjab, the state will see a favourable environment for industries and maximum employment opportunities for the youth.

He also said the government will launch a strong crackdown against drugs and encourage youth to take up sports. “Like Haryana, a sporting environment would also be created in Punjab so that the players of the state could win more and more medals for the country and make the state proud.”

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Bhupinder Singh Dhillon’s father, late Gurraj Singh Dhillon, served as a Rajya Sabha Member from 1952 to 1958, representing the SAD, and played an important role in Badal’s early political journey, a BJP statement said. Gurraj was the younger brother of Badal’s father.

Bhupinder served in the Indian Army and also participated in the 1971 India-Pakistan War. He continued his military service until 1988. He has been associated with election campaigns since 1994 and has remained actively involved with the people of the Lambi constituency.

His induction into the BJP is a significant addition to the party’s organisational and political strength in Punjab, particularly in the Malwa region, the statement said.

Pradeep Joshan, the Municipal Committee (Sanour) president and the state secretary of the AAP SC wing, also joined the BJP along with his supporters.