Even as Punjab unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday kicked off its mass contact programme, the “grumping” Sidhu couple — party”s lone Member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu and his MlA wife and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu — has once again stayed away from the party”s event.
The event, organised by party”s Amritsar unit, was attended by party”s entire top leadership including State president Kamal Sharma, former State party chief Rajinder Bhandari, Cabinet Minister Anil Joshi, party veteran and former Minister Balram Ji Dass Tandon, State party vice-presidents Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, DP Chauhan and party”s State general secretary Tarun Chug.
The couple had not been attending any party program for the last over one and half year. The move comes at a time when Dr Sidhu has extended an olive branch to his husband”s one of the detractor, State Industries Minister Anil Joshi. With all appreciations for Dr Sidhu”s “initiative”, BJP State president Kamal Sharma indicated at resolving cricketer-turned-politician Sidhu”s differences with others, including the Akalis. Dr Sidhu on Friday held a meeting with Joshi at his residence for sorting “misunderstandings”.
“I appreciate the way Dr Sidhu took the initiative and went to Joshi. When we work together, differences do crop up at times, but by meeting and discussing such issues, things get sorted,” said Sharma. He added that it was the duty of party president to work for unity in the party and “I will certainly make efforts to get resolved the issues Navjot Singh Sidhu has with any leader of BJP and also Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)”. Once again backing Sidhu”s candidature, he said that the three-time Amritsar MP “is an asset to BJP and certainly the best choice so far for candidature for lok Sabha polls”.
Sharma also maintained that Sidhu is coming back on September 4, and that will definitely motivate workers in his constituency. Restraining himself to openly comment on the recent outbursts of Dr Sidhu against the party and the Government, Sharma said: “There are plenty of platforms available to the leaders to keep their words within the party and they should avoid using media to air their personal grievances as these would harm the party”s unity.”
Without naming, he said that it was unfortunate that some leaders were trying hoodwink the party for their personal gains which was not desirable. Dr Sidhu, in the absence of her husband who is under criticism for being “missing” from his constituency since long, had been hitting at party bosses and her own SAD-BJP Government for “ignoring” them.