Nation / Wed, 03 Jun 2026 The Tribune

‘We, not I’: Ashwani Sharma’s blunt message to new Punjab BJP chief Kewal Dhillon

Amid reports that traditional BJP leaders were being sidelined for key posts in the state, outgoing working president and veteran BJP leader Ashwani Kumar Sharma on Tuesday said it was “we” and “us” in the BJP, not “I”. AdvertisementSpeaking at a function where newly appointed state president Kewal Dhillon formally assumed charge, Sharma reminded him that the contributions of long-serving karyakartas (party workers) should not be forgotten. AdvertisementA three-time former state president and former Pathankot MLA with deep RSS roots, Sharma said he was prepared to take on any role assigned by the party. He cautioned party workers and leaders against complacency. Traditional BJP leaders — many of whom rose through the RSS and spent decades within the party — now find themselves increasingly outnumbered in key visible roles, fuelling murmurs of discontent within the state unit.

Speaking at a function where newly appointed state president Kewal Dhillon formally assumed charge, Sharma reminded him that the contributions of long-serving karyakartas (party workers) should not be forgotten. “The work of a karyakarta never ends. Posts come and go,” he said.

Sharma emphasised that personal ambitions must take a back seat to the party’s larger mission.

A three-time former state president and former Pathankot MLA with deep RSS roots, Sharma said he was prepared to take on any role assigned by the party. “When Dhillon was made president, many asked me about my fate. I said then, and I say again, that I would be willing to pick up a broom and clean the streets,” he said. In a swipe at the AAP, whose election symbol is the broom, Sharma added that he would not only wield the “jhaadu” but scatter it as well.

He cautioned party workers and leaders against complacency. “Mere congratulations and good wishes won’t work. You have to work on the ground,” he said.

Highlighting Punjab’s challenges of drug abuse, corruption and governance failures, Sharma warned against making hollow promises. He said that while BJP leaders are now welcomed with bouquets and water because the party is growing, party workers stood firm even during the dark days of militancy when, he said, “no one opened their doors”.

Dhillon’s appointment as the first Jat Sikh president of the Punjab BJP marks the party’s attempt to expand beyond its traditional urban Hindu base and strengthen its presence in rural Sikh regions, particularly the Malwa belt, ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The former Congress MLA from Barnala and industrialist joined the BJP in 2022.

Several former Congress leaders, including Sunil Jakhar, Manpreet Badal, Preneet Kaur, Ravneet Singh Bittu and Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, occupied prominent positions on the stage.

Traditional BJP leaders — many of whom rose through the RSS and spent decades within the party — now find themselves increasingly outnumbered in key visible roles, fuelling murmurs of discontent within the state unit.