Navjot Sidhu files nomination as Cong nominee from Amritsar (East)

Thursday, 19/01/2017

http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=171691&boxid=59189&uid=&dat=2017-01-19

Amritsar : Putting an end to speculations, cricketer-turned politician and three-time BJP MP from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday filed nomination as a Congress nominee from Amritsar (East) constituency on the last day of filing nominations.

His candidature from this segment had been cleared by the party high command only on Tuesday, as Sidhu’s name figured in the last and final list of the party nominees. Sidhu, after holding parleys with Central leadership of the party, including Rahul Gandhi, for almost one month had decided to join Congress as its primary member only a day before Tuesday.

An elated Sidhu was on Wednesday spotted in high spirits while tendering his nomination papers. After filing nominations, he chose to talk to waiting media persons. In his typical style, Sidhu took leaders of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to task. Without naming any particular person or a leader, he asserted that the leaders of the ruling alliance had converted Punjab into a ‘center of narcotics’ and as per media reports, as many as 70 per cent youth of the state were now addicted to drugs.

The former BJP MP, while ridiculing the tall claims being made by the leaders of above two parties regarding development in the state, stated that only the high-ups and those at helm of affairs of the ruling alliance have seen themselves rise from good to better spots and had ‘dictated the terms’ at will during the past 10 years of “regime”. He also pointed out that corruption and nepotism ruled supreme during the past two terms of SAD-BJP governance in the state.

Sidhu, while eulogising the Congress and its leaders, also appealed to the voters to think twice before exercising their franchise and take into account that which party could think for the welfare of a common man and which for its own men.

Sidhu to face his ex-PA

AMRITSAR: Navjot Singh Sidhu is set to face a known face in the shape of his former personal assistant Maninder Singh Manna.

Manna, who had reportedly parted ways with Sidhu during the last assembly elections of Punjab in 2012 and was disgruntled with the latter since then, has locked horns with Sidhu as the former had opted to contest as an independent candidate from the very seat that Sidhu has been asked to contest by his party. Following his ex-master’s footsteps, Manna filed his nomination papers on Wednesday, the last day of filing nominations.

Manna is reported to have openly opposed Dr Sidhu’s candidature in 2012, however, despite this, the latter came out with flying colorus and was elected an MLA that time.