With one more of its senior leaders discarding the party in favour of the Punjab Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday suffered yet another severe setback in the run-up to the state assembly polls.Ranjit Singh Nikra, the National Political Advisor of SAD and Director Punjab Agro Food Grain Corporation, joined the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) along with several of his supporters in the presence of Captain Amarinder Singh, who welcomed the development as another shot in the arm for the Congress and a sign of the total collapse of SAD in the state.Nikra, who was also the national president of the Anti Drug Federation of India (ADFI), has been appointed as the Chairman of the Anti Narcotic Cell of PPCC.
Among those present at the joining was Sanjiv Garg, Chairman Human Rights Cell and former Vice Chairman Punjab Agro Industries Corporation Limited, who was instrumental in bringing Nikra into the Congress. Captain Amarinder’s close associate BIS Chahal was also present.Nikra, who hails from Patiala, started his political innings as the president of Youth Akali Dal (Badal), Patiala, in 1994, and had since worked with SAD in various capacities, including national Organising Secretary of SAD (Badal) from 2011 to 2015. For a brief period, from 2009 to 2011, Nikra had joined Akali Dal (Longowal) and served the party as its national youth wing president.