Jalalabad (Punjab), Apr 14 (PTI) Congress leader and former state minister Hans Raj Josan on Wednesday joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) here, the party said in a statement.

Welcoming Josan into the party fold during an event organised at his village, Bandi Wala, in Jalalabad constituency, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said the party has been further strengthened in the Malwa region.

He also appointed Josan a party general secretary, the statement said.

Josan has been a minister in Congress-led Punjab governments from 1992-1997 and then again from 2002-2007.

He has also served as the chairman of the Punjab Leather Board, the statement said.

Josan resigned from the post of chairman of the district planning board on Tuesday to join the SAD, it added.

The SAD president assured him a ticket in the 2022 Assembly elections.

Josan was quoted in the SAD statement as saying, "Punjab is under a headless government, with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh displaying zero interest in governance." PTI CHS VSD

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)