BJP Taunts Congress, Asks Did Sidhu Target Amarinder Only For Position; AAP Also Takes Swipe

Punjab’s Opposition parties Monday attacked the Congress over its infighting, with the BJP asking Navjot Singh Sidhu if he made accusations against Chief Minister Amarinder Singh only for “grabbing” power, and the AAP alleging ruling party leaders were never concerned about issues confronting the state.

Amid the infighting, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Sunday appointed Sidhu the new president of the party’s Punjab unit, notwithstanding the strong opposition from Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma took a dig at Sidhu’s elevation. “Instead of the Congress’, now a government of ‘jumlas and jokes’ has started in Punjab.”

Sidhu finally “threw down” Singh in a fight over a chair, said Sharma.

Sharma asked if the charges Sidhu made against the CM have “finished” after the former cricketer became the PPCC chief or were they made only for the purpose of “grabbing a chair”.

Sidhu will have to reply to the people of the state on this, said Sharma.

Sidhu had earlier attacked Singh through his tweets over the issue of alleged delay in justice in the 2015 sacrilege incidents and subsequent police firing.

Sidhu, who had been at loggerheads with Singh over some issues, had also once said that there was a “consensus” among legislators that the Badals, the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal’s first family, were “ruling” the state instead of the Congress-led government.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national spokesperson and Punjab affairs co-incharge Raghav Chadha said that after “ruining four-and-a-half-years, now we hope that the ruling Congress will utilise the remaining few months for the betterment of the people and the state”.

Congress leaders never fought for Punjab and the problems faced by its people but only to “grab or save the chair”, he alleged.

“As the situation prevails, it seems unlikely that Sidhu becoming the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress will quell the infighting within the Congress,” Chadha said.

He said though it was an internal issue of the Congress, he was commenting on it as the ruling party’s strife had caused a lot of “damage” to Punjab.

“Punjab was not on their agenda due to the internal fighting. After ruining four-and-a-half years, now we hope that the ruling Congress will utilise the remaining few months for the betterment of the people and the state,” he added.

To a question, Chadha said, “Our best wishes to Navjot Singh Sidhu. Let us see how Sidhu, sitting on the chair of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president, deals with all the burning issues of Punjab, corruption and mafia.”

He said everyone knows that despite swearing by the ‘Gutka Sahib’ (religious book), Chief Minister Singh and the Congress did not fight on the issues related to sand mafia, land mafia, transport mafia, unemployment, drugs and sacrilege.

Meanwhile, Ranjit Singh Rana, who had unsuccessfully contested from Bholath constituency on a Congress ticket in the 2017 assembly polls, joined the Aam Aadmi Party here.