AAP’s Jalandhar MP Sushil Kumar Rinku and MLA Sheetal Angural join BJP

The lone Lok Sabha member of the AAP, Sushil Kumar Rinku, joined the BJP on March 27 along with Punjab MLA Sheetal Angural, dealing a blow to the party that is already facing a crisis following the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The lone Lok Sabha member of the AAP, Sushil Kumar Rinku, joined the BJP on March 27 along with Punjab MLA Sheetal Angural, dealing a blow to the party that is already facing a crisis following the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Mr. Rinku, the MP from Jalandhar, said he decided to join the Bharatiya Janata Party for the development of Punjab, especially Jalandhar, and accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state of not helping him in development endeavours in his constituency.

He said he was impressed by the working style of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and lauded the BJP-led Centre for its development initiatives, including the boost in flight services and launch of new trains to Jalandhar.

"I have no greed for power. I am doing a new experiment for the betterment of Jalandhar," Mr. Rinku told reporters at his joining ceremony.

He and Mr. Angural, who was elected to the Punjab Assembly from Jalandhar West, joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the party's national general secretary Vinod Tawde and Punjab unit chief Sunil Jakhar.

Mr. Rinku quit the Congress to join the AAP last year to contest the bypoll to the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat. He was a vocal critic of the BJP in the Lower House of Parliament. Mr. Rinku was even suspended from the Lok Sabha for his unruly protests.

The BJP is likely to field him in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as it inducts a number of influential leaders from different political parties in Punjab to emerge as a strong force in the state that has 13 parliamentary constituencies.