Patiala Lok Sabha MP Preneet Kaur quit the Congress on Thursday before formally joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi on Thursday.

A four-time Congress MP and a former Union minister, Preneet Kaur joined the saffron party at its headquarters in the presence of national general secretaries Vinod Tawde and Tarun Chugh, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar and state party affairs in-charge Vijay Rupani.

Also read: 5 Punjab ministers in AAP’s first list of 8 Lok Sabha poll candidates

Preneet Kaur was placed under suspension by the Congress in February last year soon after her husband, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, joined the BJP. She continues to be a Lok Sabha MP from Patiala.

Addressing a press conference later, Preneet Kaur praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his policies and development works carried out in the country.

“I am happy that today I am joining the BJP. In the last 25 years, I have worked in the Lok Sabha and the legislative assembly. Today, the time has come when everyone should come together and look at the works of PM Modi and his policies, such as the Viksit Bharat programme. I have full confidence that under the leadership of PM Modi, we will be able to keep our country safe and take it forward,” she said.

Earlier, she sent a one-line resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, saying: “I hereby tender my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress with immediate effect.”

BJP leader Vinod Tawde said that the inclusion of leaders like Preenet Kaur in the party would make it stronger in the Punjab. “Preneet Kaur ji is a parliamentarian who has proved her potential by working on many committees. When such people come to the BJP, especially in Punjab where public mentality is being formed against the state government, it makes us strong. The BJP is emerging in the mind of a common Punjabi. The development of Punjab as desired by PM Modi will become stronger with her joining,” he said.

Preneet Kaur was elected to the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999 and was re-elected in 2004, 2009 and 2019.