Didn’t name anybody, says Sidhu

Wednesday, 19/11/2014

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20141119/punjab.htm#7

Chandigarh : Senior BJP leader and former Member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu today said that while addressing a religious gathering at Ludhiana earlier this week, he had not named any party or politician.

Talking on the phone, Sidhu, who has been assigned the task of campaigning in Jammu and Kashmir, said: “I only said that Punjab should get rid of those who have looted and plundered the state. I did not know that they (Akalis) fall in this category.”

Sidhu’s outburst at Ludhiana has raised a political storm with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema complaining to Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma, seeking action against Sidhu.

The latter told The Tribune that the mission of every politician should be “selfless service of the people and not service of self.”

Tug-of-war

The SAD leadership has started hitting back at the BJP with senior Akali leaders Sikander Singh Maluka and Bikram Singh Majithia publicly criticising Sidhu. There seems to be no end to the tug-of-war between the alliance partners. On the issue of drugs, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has placed the ball in the Modi government’s court. Without referring to the ABVP that had raised the issue at its conference in Amritsar last week, Badal, during his visit to Phagwara, said that efforts should be made to seal the international border.

He said the BJP-ruled Rajasthan should be stopped from selling poppy husk in the open. In days to come, he is likely to write to BJP president Amit Shah and the PM to take effective steps to stop smuggling of drugs from across the border.

Capital issue

The CM has tried to put the BJP on the back foot on the issue of Chandigarh, saying he hoped that the Modi government would do justice to the state. As there is a BJP government at the Centre as well as in Haryana, Badal knows that if Chandigarh is not given to Punjab, his party will have a good reason to push the BJP to the wall. Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal too has written to the PM to honour his commitment to give relief to victims of the anti-Sikh riots.

The adviser to the Chief Minister, Harcharan Bains, said both Badal and Sukhbir considered SAD’s alliance with the BJP as very important. “The BJP high command too regards the alliance as sacrosanct,” he added.

I only said that Punjab should get rid of those  who have plundered the state. I did not know that they (Akalis) fall in this category.—Navjot Sidhu, BJP Leader