Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Punjab unit president Sunil Jakhar, who has been away from party activities for almost two months, on Thursday said that he has requested the party leadership to relieve him of the charge after the poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections. There were reports that Sunil Jakhar has resigned from the post of BJP state president, after which he could not be contacted.
Sunil Jakhar said that he met BJP President JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi after the Lok Sabha election results and told them, I should be relieved of this responsibility because my morality does not allow me to continue in this post. Doesn't give. He said that despite BJP's vote share increasing from six percent to 18 percent, the party could not win any of the 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab.
Former Congress leader Sunil Jakhar became the president of BJP's Punjab unit in July 2023. Jakhar said that he also brought many issues related to the state to the notice of the BJP leadership. His absence from the political scene of Punjab has raised many questions on his role in the party. Despite being one of the party's star campaigners, he is not campaigning for the by-elections to four assembly constituencies in Punjab to be held on November 20.
Sunil Jakhar was last seen welcoming PM Modi at Chandigarh airport on October 18. He also welcomed the Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the local hotel. Meanwhile, Jakhar sought intervention from Prime Minister Modi regarding the Centre's alleged move to allot 10 acres of land in Chandigarh to Haryana for the construction of an assembly building.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has reportedly given environmental clearance to the land given by the Haryana government to the Chandigarh administration in exchange for land for the additional assembly building. Haryana government offered 12 acres of land in Panchkula to the Chandigarh administration in exchange of 10 acres of land near IT Park Road in Chandigarh. Jakhar said that he opposes this move and urges the Prime Minister to intervene and cancel the allocation.
He said that Chandigarh is not only the capital of Punjab but also the heart of Punjab. If you talk about giving land from Chandigarh to Haryana for setting up an assembly, it hurts the people of Punjab. Presently, Punjab and Haryana share the assembly complex next to the Punjab and Haryana Secretariat in the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Chandigarh is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.
