The ruling Congress Party in the state on Saturday got the biggest shock when its prominent leader, Kuljit Singh Randhawa, joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with dozens of his supporters. He was given a rousing welcome by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Harpal Singh Cheema in the presence of prominent leaders of the party.Speaking on the occasion, Harpal Singh Cheema said that with Kuljit Singh Randhawa, an experienced and a prominent face in the area under the Patiala Parliamentary Constituency segment, joining the AAP would help strength the party’s organizational structure of the party in the area, saying that his varied experience would be utilized in further strengthening the party.Prominent among his supporters who joined the party included Gulab Singh, Dalbir Singh, Gurcharan Singh, Prem Singh, Jagdeep Singh (Nambardar), Ajay Kumar, Paramjit Pammi, Ranjit Singh, Dharam Pal Singh, Gurtej ‘Teji’, Manobir Singh and many others.Speaking on the occasion, Kuljit Singh Randhawa, said that he decided to quit the Congress party as the government led by captain Amarinder Singh, had failed to live up to the aspirations of the people of the state, saying it had betrayed the interests of Punjab and its people. He accused the government of conniving with mafia lords calling the shots in the state.Kuljit Singh Randhawa is state president of Panchayat Parishad, General Secretary, All-India Panchayat Parishad (Delhi), Convener, Chandigarh Panchayat Parishad, Vice-president, Punjab Truck Operators Union, Ex- president, Truck Union, Derabassi, ex-member Zila Parishad, Patiala.Others who joined the party on the occasion were Swaran Singh Lehli, well-known transporter and staunch Congress leader from Lalru area along with dozens of his supporters. Srishty, an advocate by profession and an animal lover, also joined the party. Others who were present on the occasion included core committee chairman, Harchand Singh Barsat, Narinder Singh Shergill, Garry Birring, Manjit Singh Sidhu, Sukhwinder Sukhi, Sandip Singla, Iqbal Singh (party spokesman) and other leaders of the party.