Punjab Congress leader Manpreet Badal quits Cong, joins BJP
New Delhi (PTI): Former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal joined the BJP on Wednesday and slammed the Congress, which he quit before starting his new political innings, for factionalism.
He lauded the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, saying India has emerged strong, including diplomatically and economically, under their nearly nine-year rule.
Voicing concern over the state of affairs in Punjab, he said the state is "slipping" and the BJP is the only party which can meet the challenges facing it.
On his decision to quit the Congress, he said how can one operate in a party which is at "war with itself. Not only in Punjab but in many states, the party is full of factions".
Union minister Piyush Goyal, who was present during his joining ceremony at the BJP headquarters here, was effusive in his praise of Badal.
Badal is erudite, simple and experienced and was also guided by larger national interest during the GST council meeting when he represented Punjab as it finance minister, Goyal said.
It is a golden day and his joining the BJP will further strengthen its bond with Sikhs, the senior BJP leader said.
Earlier in his resignation letter to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Badal said he was "disillusioned" by the party.
"I devoted every ounce of energy to every office I have had the honour of holding, both in the party and the government. I thank you for having provided me these opportunities and for the kindness and courtesy you have shown me in the past," he said in the letter which he posted on his Twitter handle.
"Regretfully, given the prevalent culture within the party and the defiant desire in the present course, I no longer wish to be a part of the Indian National Congress," he said.
Badal, who served as the finance minister in the previous Congress government, said, "Seven years ago, I merged the People's Party of Punjab with your party. I did so with immense hope and an expectation of being integrated into an organisation with a rich history that would allow me to serve both the people of Punjab and its interests to the best of my ability."
"Initial enthusiasm gradually gave way to disappointing disillusionment," he added.
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'Hats off to Captain Rohit Sharma': Cong's Shama Mohamed hails Champions Trophy win
New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI): Congress leader Shama Mohamed, whose online posts fat-shaming Indian captain Rohit Sharma sparked a major row last week, hailed Sharma on Sunday for leading from the front in the Champions Trophy final and congratulated the team on their triumph in the tournament.
Sharma made an excellent half-century as a resolute India held their nerve to win an unprecedented third Champions Trophy title with a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the final in Dubai.
In a post on X, Mohamed said, "Congratulations to Team India for their stupendous performance in winning the Champions Trophy 2025!"
"Hats off to Captain @ImRo45 who led from the front with a brilliant 76, setting the tone for victory. Shreyas Iyer and K L Rahul played crucial knocks, steering India to glory! A triumph to remember!" she said.
Bowling first after Rohit lost his 12th straight toss, India's spinners restricted New Zealand to 251 for seven in the allotted 50 overs, with Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) and Varun Chakaravarthy (2/45) making significant contributions with the ball.
India completed the chase of 252 with six balls to spare after Rohit (76 off 83 balls) and Shreyas Iyer (48 off 62 balls) shone with the bat.
Congress spokesperson Mohamed's posts fat-shaming Sharma had sparked a major row last Monday, riling millions of cricket fans and drawing flak from various quarters including her own party and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya who slammed them as "deeply shameful".
BJP leaders attacked Mohamed and the Congress after she targeted the Indian cricket captain, with the ruling party's social media head Amit Malviya alleging that it was a "premeditated put down to undermine the team's morale at a crucial time".
Distancing itself from Mohamed's remarks on Sharma, the Congress had asserted that Mohamed's remarks about the cricketing legend do not reflect the party's position and asked her to exercise greater caution in future.
"The Indian National Congress holds the contributions of sporting icons in the highest regard and does not endorse any statements that undermine their legacy," Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera had said.
She has been asked to delete the social media posts from X, he had said.
Mohamed had said these were her personal remarks and that an issue had been made out unnecessarily. She also said that she is proud of Sharma but was only talking about his fitness.
Congratulations to #TeamIndia for their stupendous performance in winning the #ChampionsTrophy2025! 🇮🇳🏆
— Dr. Shama Mohamed (@drshamamohd) March 9, 2025
Hats off to Captain @ImRo45 who led from the front with a brilliant 76, setting the tone for victory. @ShreyasIyer15 and @klrahul played crucial knocks, steering India to…
