In a clear sign of Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar’s growing importance in the state and saffron politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led top party brass on Wednesday night attended the former’s grandson’s wedding reception in the Capital.
The Prime Minister, who was in Prayagraj earlier in the day for a holy dip at Sangam, arrived for the reception of Jai Veer and Rudrashree after 9.30 pm, when most of the guests were already at a posh Lutyens’ Delhi venue.
The PM blessed the couple, posed for pictures with the Jakhar family and interacted with guests.
Modi spotted former Haryana Chief Minister and Congress veteran Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his MP son Deepender in the crowd and greeted them.
After the PM left, BJP president JP Nadda arrived. Union Ministers Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupender Yadav and Arjun Ram Meghwal were also in attendance.
Shah, the second most influential BJP leader after Modi, spent the longest time at the location posing for pictures with guests.
BJP leaders paid their obeisance to Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Dera Beas, who graced the event and interacted with guests.
Leaders across party lines were in attendance such as former Congress veterans and ministers Ashwani Kumar and Kapil Sibal, Congress general Secretary Mukul Wasnik, Capt Amarinder Singh’s daughter Jai Inder and her family, former Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal and his wife Vinu, former Union Minister Anurag Thakur and senior BJP Haryana leader Capt Abhimanyu, National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah and NCP’s Supriya Sule.
The presence of the entire top saffron line up at Jakhar’s family event was a significant signal of the BJP leadership’s trust in their Punjab unit chief who had last year put in his papers urging PM to change his approach towards Punjab.
Jakhar has stayed in the post ever since as his resignation has not been accepted.
Neither have any organisational elections been held in Punjab even though the process of revamping 50 per cent BJP state units through internal polls is under way before a new national president can be elected.
Under the BJP constitution, it is mandatory for half the state units to have an organisational election before the national president poll can be held.
Punjab has not been included in the organisational election plan, which is a sign that Jakhar is here to stay.
