“The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will ensure that state farmers will get Minimum Support Price (MSP) on all crops listed by the Centre. If Haryana can give MSP on 21 crops, why not Punjab?” said BJP’s new president of Punjab unit Kewal Singh Dhillon, while talking to The Tribune here today.Dhillon said the BJP was the new ray of hope for the people of Punjab who were disillusioned with the successive Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the Aam Admi Party (AAP) governments in the state. “I can only say that people of Punjab are tired but not defeated. They will make the correct decision in 2027,” he said.“Punjab will have a ‘kamal ka phool” (BJP) in 2027. After West Bengal, it is time for transformation in Punjab. We will have a BJP government,” he said.Reacting to a question on the unusual change of making a Sikh face the president of the state BJP, he said, “Punjabis do not differentiate between religions. They have always lived as one.”“As of now, the BJP is working independently in reaching out to the masses in all corners of the state. I cannot comment on whether our party will go for any tie-up, particularly with our old ally SAD. A final decision will be taken by our party high command. I can only say that we will stand with all the like-minded partners whose top priority is the welfare of Punjab,” Dhillon said.“Our party has been working on charting our agenda for ensuring the return of good times that the state witnessed for more than a decade of Maharaja Ranjit Singh rule. I will start my tenure by getting all party workers, specially seniors and old timers, to breathe a new life into our party,” he said.Dhillon said, “I just want my party to reach out to people, telling them how much Prime Minister Narender Modi loves Punjab. He has always kept Punjab on top of his priorities. Modi withdrew the farmers’ Bills after the government could not convince the farmers about the intended benefits the government had envisaged. The withdrawal of GST from gurdwara kitchen and the opening of Kartarpur corridor are just a few among the long list of special benefits that the state was bestowed by the Centre,” Dhillon said.He said “as of today, people of Punjab are very badly affected by the “gunda raj” which goes on unchecked all over the state. We will bring the change.


