Former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, five days after quitting the grand old party.

       Jakhar was inducted by BJP national president JP Nadda at the party headquarters in New Delhi.

       Welcoming the former Congress leader, Nadda said: "I welcome Sunil Jakhar to the BJP. He is an experienced political leader who made a name for himself during his political career. I am confident he will play a big role in strengthening the party in Punjab."

       He said Jakhar had enjoyed a special stature in Punjab that was independent of the Congress party and helped strengthen nationalist forces.

       "BJP is emerging as the number one nationalist force in Punjab. Hence, it is necessary for all leaders having nationalist ideology to join the BJP to strengthen the party and for a stronger Punjab," Nadda said.

       Jakhar, a three-term MLA and a former Lok Sabha member from Gurdaspur, became emotional as he recalled the five-decade association of his family with the Congress.

       "It is not easy to break a relationship with the Congress that spanned three generations – from 1972 till now. We had been with the Congress in good times and bad," said Jakhar.

       He said the BJP had welcomed him because he had not pursued politics for personal good.

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       Jakhar, who was stripped from all posts previously, quit Congress on Saturday during a Facebook Live.

       He took the decision after lashing out at former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Twitter, saying that he was "not an asset" as portrayed by the party leadership.

       He also lashed out at veteran Congress leader Ambika Soni for her statement on the "repercussions of having a Hindu chief minister in Punjab". Jakhar also held Soni's statement as one of the reasons for the Congress' drubbing in the Punjab assembly polls earlier this year.

       With inputs from agencies.

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