Retired IAS officer Jasbir Singh joins AAP

Retired IAS officer Jasbir Singh Bir, who had taken on the Badal government while he was in service, joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday.

Retired IAS officer Jasbir Singh Bir, who had taken on the Badal government while he was in service, joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday.

Retired IAS officer Jasbir Singh Bir joins AAP in presence of AAP state incharge Sanjay Singh and others. (Twitter/Sucha Singh Chottepur)

Bir, known for rising through the ranks since his first posting was as a daily-wage clerk, joined the AAP in the presence of party’s state in-charge Sanjay Singh and convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur.

“I have been following the party for some time and think it is the best political party in Punjab today,” Bir told HT.

The 65-year-old former bureaucrat has not been assigned any role for now, but is expected to contest the assembly polls next year. “I don’t know about the elections but think my wide-ranging administrative experience can be of help. I know the functioning of the Punjab government. I know how the system works. I can guide the party by highlighting how and who does corruption in the system,” he added.

Bir is known for taking on the Badal family over the issue of parking of buses owned by them and other private operators, at a market in SAS Nagar. This led him to seek a premature retirement in April 2010.