Jakhar breaks silence says asked BJP leadership to relieve him as party's Punjab chief

Chandigarh, Nov 14 (PTI) Having been absent from party activities for around two months, the BJP's Punjab chief Sunil Jakhar on Thursday said he had asked the saffron party's leadership to relieve him of his duties following a poor electoral performance in the Lok Sabha elections.
    Jakhar was incommunicado amid reports that he had tendered his resignation as the BJP's state chief.
    He told reporters on Thursday that he met BJP chief JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Lok Sabha elections results and conveyed to them, "I should be relieved of this responsibility as my morality does not allow me to continue to remain at this post."
    He added despite the BJP's vote share increasing from six per cent to 18 per cent, the party could not register victory on any of the 13 parliamentary constituencies in Punjab.
    A former Congress leader, Jakhar became the BJP's Punjab unit president in July 2023.
    Jakhar said he also brought many state-related issues to the BJP leadership's notice.
    His absence from the political scene in Punjab raised many questions about his role in the party. He has not been campaigning for the November 20 bypolls to four assembly segments in Punjab despite being listed as one of the party's star campaigners.
    Jakhar was last seen welcoming Modi at the Chandigarh airport on October 18. He had also received National Democratic Alliance (NDA) chief ministers and deputy chief ministers at a local hotel.
    Meanwhile, Jakhar sought Modi's intervention in connection with the Centre's reported move to clear the allotment of 10 acres in Chandigarh to Haryana for construction of its assembly building.
    The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has reportedly granted an environment clearance for the land offered by the Haryana government to the Chandigarh administration in exchange for land for the additional Vidhan Sabha building.
    The Haryana government offered 12 acres in Panchkula to the Chandigarh administration in lieu of 10 acres near IT Park Road in Chandigarh.
    Jakhar said he opposed the move and urged the prime minister to intervene and cancel the allotment.
    "Chandigarh is not only the capital of Punjab but it is also the heart of Punjab. If you talk about giving land from Chandigarh to Haryana for setting up a Vidhan Sabha, it hurts the people of Punjab," Jakhar said.
    In a post on X, he said, "In an attempt to heal the wounds inflicted on Punjab in the past, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took many steps for the social and religious upliftment of Punjabis. By giving 10 acres of land to Haryana for a separate assembly in Chandigarh, it will hurt these efforts."
    "I believe this decision should be reconsidered in order to maintain strong relations between Punjab and the Centre and I appeal to the prime minister to personally intervene and cancel this decision," he further said.
    He said all the political parties were unanimous on this issue but the claim of Punjab over Chandigarh had weakened due to the chief minister's "lack of understanding".
    "In Jaipur, when the Union home minister was present in the meeting of the North Zonal Council (in 2022), Haryana asked for this land for the Vidhan Sabha. Instead of opposing it, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, gave his stamp of approval to the demand by asking for land for the legislative assembly of Punjab as well," Jakhar claimed.
    "Why should the people of Punjab pay for the anti-Punjab stand taken by Punjab's novice Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on this issue?" he asked.
    At present, Punjab and Haryana share the Vidhan Sabha complex next to the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat in the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
    Chandigarh is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)