AMRITSAR, Punjab — The ruling Congress party in India faced a major embarrassment when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's step-brother joined the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Singh's youngest brother Daljit Singh was inducted into the BJP at party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's rally in Amritsar. BJP's PM nominee was in the city to support party's key strategist Arun Jaitley who is locked in a tough political battle against former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amrainder Singh. Amritsar is going to. polls on April 30. After joining the BJP, Daljit told a national daily that he joined the opposition party because he was upset at the manner in which his brother had been treated by the ruling Congress and he said he was likely to contest elections on BJP's ticket soon. He has been a textile exporter in Amritsar for the past 16 years. Modi gave a big hug to Daljit in front of thousands of people and said “Kohli joining the BJP has doubled our strength. You should know we are not just a party of mere memberships; we are a party that believes in long lasting relationships. We now have blood relations with you.” Modi has been exceptionally harsh on the prime minister in his recent speeches calling him a dummy of the Gandhi family. The prime minister on the other hand has said on Thursday that there is no Modi wave in the country. Sources in the Prime Minister's Office said the Singh family was surprised at this development. The family said they didn't know his (Daljit's) motivations for joining the BJP while adding that he was free to pursue his own political affiliations. Meanwhile, Daljit also said he had decided to join the BJP because he liked Jaitley's vision. “I was very disappointed with the way my brother had been sidelined and his policies were being ignored by his party.” He was aware that the PM had called Modi a mass murderer but refused to comment on the issue.
