CHANDIGARH — Over 200 students from Panjab University signed up with the Bharatiya Janata Party during a ceremony in Chandigarh on Saturday. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini welcomed the new members, calling their move a sign of rising faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

Saini addressed the crowd with state BJP vice-president Kewal Singh Dhillon, Dr. Subhash Sharma, state general secretary Parminder Brar, state media head Vineet Joshi, state co-cashier Sukhwinder Goldy, state protocol secretary Khushwant Rai Gigga, Charanjit Brar, N.K. Verma, and Sanjiv Vashisht by his side. He praised the students for joining what he described as the BJP family.

“Your decision shows confidence in Modi’s vision,” Saini told the gathering. He pointed to India’s growth over the past 11 years under Modi. Highways expanded. Railway networks grew. Programs like Mudra Yojana, Start-Up India, Stand-Up India, and Make in India took off, he said. All aimed at youth empowerment and jobs.

Saini shifted to Haryana’s record. The state filled over 200,000 government jobs in the last decade, he noted. No bribes or favoritism—recruitment ran on merit alone, without “parchi and kharchi.” The government cracked down on drug traffickers too. It pushed sports, skills training, and jobs abroad to lift young people.

Punjab’s youth need to shun drugs and build the nation, Saini urged. He predicted the BJP would rise as Punjab’s top choice. The new recruits must work from the ground up, he said, to create a corruption-free, forward-looking Punjab.

The event drew party workers and leaders. It highlighted BJP’s push to attract students amid Punjab’s political battles. Saini, a key figure in the party’s northern India strategy, used the platform to tout national and state successes. Youth influx could bolster BJP’s booth-level strength ahead of future polls.

Modi’s initiatives got repeated emphasis. Mudra Yojana loaned small businesses billions. Start-Up India sparked thousands of ventures. Make in India drew factories and foreign cash. Haryana mirrored this with clean hiring and anti-drug drives, officials said.

Chandigarh, shared by Punjab and Haryana, served as a natural spot for the rally. Panjab University students, often vocal on local issues, now align with BJP’s national agenda. Party insiders see this as a win against rivals like Congress and AAP in the region.