A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh denied there was any "Modi wave" in the country, the tide took away his brother, Daljit Singh Kohli.
The PM's step-brother, 60, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that too in the presence of its prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi. Minutes after NaMo and Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal climbed the stage to speak in favour of Arun Jaitley, BJP candidate for this Lok Sabha seat, the appearing of Kohli left everyone stunned.
The PM's father, Gurmukh Singh, had two wives. Manmohan was born to the first and Kohli to the other. Welcoming Kohli, a businessman, into the party, Modi said: "I assure him it's not a mere membership but a new relationship. Whatever dreams he has for India and Punjab will be fulfilled."
Happy to be in the BJP, Kohli said: "My elder brother is a respected and honest gentleman. He served the nation with full dedication and honesty but the Congress leadership never gave him a free hand to run the government. Because of this, the country is in a mess. I join the BJP is in the interest of the country and Punjab."
{{/usCountry}}Happy to be in the BJP, Kohli said: "My elder brother is a respected and honest gentleman. He served the nation with full dedication and honesty but the Congress leadership never gave him a free hand to run the government. Because of this, the country is in a mess. I join the BJP is in the interest of the country and Punjab."
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Kohli supported the Modi model of development and growth and said he found Jaitley also dynamic, honest and visionary. "He will serve not only Amritsar but also Punjab," he added.
Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and BJP candidate Arun Jaitley also welcomed Kohli into the saffron party.
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Badal, having a dig at Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, said: "What the mother and son have done to the Prime Minister pains the family Manmohan Singh."
On every visit of the PM to Amritsar, Kohli and his family would meet him at Circuit House.
PM 'surprised'
A source in Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said the PM's family was "surprised at this development". "His (Kohli's) considerations are best known to him but he is free to pursue his political career," the PMO source said, a hint that there was more to Kohli's joining the BJP than meets the eye.