The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday appointed former Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill its national spokesperson. The incumbent party appointed former Congress leaders — Punjab chief ministers Amarinder Singh and Sunil Jakhar — as well as former Uttar Pradesh president Swatantra Dev Singh as national executives.
Madan Kaushik, Vishnu Deo Sai, its former presidents of Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Manoranjan Kalia and Amanjot Kaur Ramoowalia, all three from Punjab, have been made special invitees to the national executive.
Here's what we know about Jaiveer Shergill, Amarinder Singh and Sunil Jakhar:
Jaiveer Shergill
Shergill, a lawyer who used to be a prominent young Congress leader for eight years, on August 24, tendered his resignation claiming that the vision of the decision-makers no longer was in sync with the aspirations of the youth. Shergill's resignation from the Congress in August created a controversy after he said the decision-making process in the party was based on "serving the interests of a few individuals and not the country and its people".
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He was the youngest national spokesperson for the Indian National Congress (INC). During his time in Congress, he was the Co-Chairman of the Legal Cell of the party's Punjab unit. Shergill also launched unique initiatives like that a 24×7 toll-free legal assistance helpline for congress workers facing cases.
Amarinder Singh
Captain Amarinder Singh served as the 15th Chief Minister of Punjab and quit the Congress after he was unceremoniously removed as the CM last year. The former chief minister, who joined politics in 1969, floated his own political outfit Punjab Lok Congress after quitting the Congress. He merged his outfit with the BJP after he joined the party.
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Besides this, Captain Amarinder is a military historian, who is also a profound writer and has penned a number of books on war and Sikh history. His father was the last Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala and Singh also served in the Indian Army from 1963 to 1966.
Sunil Jakhar
Former Punjab Congress chief Jakhar too parted ways with the Congress in May this year, after receiving a notice from Congress High Command. He was a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) for five decades until 2022. Elected consecutively three times from Abohar, Punjab constituency (2002-2017), he was a Leader of the opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha from 2012-2017.
Jakhar first became a member of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha from Abohar in 2002. According to some political analysts, Sunil Jakhar’s strengths are related to his ‘clean image’, articulate approach, and polite attitude.
(with PTI inputs)
