Navjot Singh Sidhu TV shows to continue

Saturday, 18/03/2017

http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=174905&boxid=58873&uid=&dat=2017-03-18

In the presence of his former MLA wife Dr Navjot Kaur and party colleagues including Rana Gurjit, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Kuljit Nagra and Pargat Singh, Amritsar East MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu assumed the office of the Minister for Local Bodies.

Wearing blue coat pent with tie and turban, former cricketer-cum-comedian Sidhu at first clarified that he won’t be leaving his TV shows, but in the same breath he also made a counter question: “Asking me to leave the job through which I earn livelihood, you want me to be corrupt and mint money from this political position

which people assigned me with utmost confidence?”

“To end this debate for once and all, I clarify the thing. I would leave the office at 3 pm and reach there in the evening. My recordings would be scheduled for the late evenings and even nights. I will catch the flight back and ensure reaching here in the office again by the morning. So, I will walk extra mile to ensure the two responsibilities can run parallel without any problem,” said Navjot.

Speaking further, he said: “Jab janta ko koi iteraaz nahin to aapko kyon?”

“Had people objected to my TV assignments, they would not have elected me by a big margin of 43,000 votes,” he said, but avoided answering the straight reply to a query related the legal glitch in holding “Office of Profit”.

Further putting the row over the post of deputy chief minister to rest, Navjot said: “I am a soldier in Captain Amarinder Singh’s Army. I am not a man who runs after positions. Had I been, I could take anything from the BJP or the AAP from where I was having various allurements.”

Speaking about himself, Sidhu claimed that he was only MP who gave Rs 2 crore from his own pocket to the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner to plant saplings.

“I am thankful to Amarinder Singh ji, who has given me such an important portfolio. Here, I can do a lot of to serve the masses of the state. Not going by the row social media created, I reiterate that I will be putting my best to stand upto the expectations of Amarinder Singh ji as well as Rahul and Prinaka ji, who all reposed faith in me.”

“Captain is like my father. I will take up any role assigned to me. I am happy with anything Captain sahib deems fit for me,” he laid stress.

Meanwhile, Sidhu praised Pargat Singh and slammed former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and former revenue minister Bikram Majithia.

Before leaving, Sidhu also announced that he would be carrying three mobile phones-one to deal with the public, second for the MLAs and party members and the third for only the Chief Minister, to which he named “Hot Line”.