A day after the Shiromani Akali Dal asked BJP to “tame” its leader Navjot Singh Sidhu over his outburst against the ruling coalition partner, the Amritsar’s former MP on Tuesday said that his remarks were not directed at the Akalis but those who loot and plunder Punjab.
“What I had said was that the demons must be dealt with. Those who loot and plunder Punjab must go. If certain Akalis are saying that I am talking about them, I never knew they fall in this category,” Sidhu said.SAD has taken strong exception to the “derogatory remarks” made by Sidhu at a religious function in ludhiana on Sunday. His comments were followed by the party officially lodging its complaint with the state BJP president Kamal Sharma.
The complaint was lodged by party’s spokesperson and secretary Daljeet Singh Cheema, who is also the state Education Minister, demanding “strict disciplinary action” against Sidhu. Cheema rang up Sharma on Monday evening to apprise him about Sidhu’s “derogatory remarks”.
Sidhu, addressing the gathering at a religious function in ludhiana, had openly called upon the people to throw out the “corrupt and evil” forces from Punjab in the next assembly elections. Though he did not name any leader or party, the obvious reference was to the Akali Dal leaders.Dubbing Sidhu’s action as “intolerable and against the spirit of coalition dharma”, Cheema had urged Sharma to take the matter with the party high command so as to “tame Sidhu”.
This was not for the first time that Sidhu has directly attacked its alliance partners. In fact, the former MP, accompanied by his wife — BJP MlA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Navjot Kaur — has all along been taking on the Akali Dal even before the 2014 general elections.
Responding to the development, Punjab BJP chief Sharma had maintained that he would apprise the party’s central leadership regarding SAD’s concerns, and that was all he could do.
Maintaining that he was a “dedicated soldier of the party”, Sidhu said: “Winds of change is blowing in Punjab.”
He said that he remained a dedicated soldier of the party and has never aspired for anything. “I am a soldier of the party…A worker is always permanent,” he added.
AllIanCE IS ‘ROCK SOlID’ & NOT DUE TO ANYone: MAJITHIA
Pathankot: Punjab Revenue and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Tuesday said that the alliance between SAD and BJP was “rock solid” as it was not due to any individual.
Describing the alliance as “an emotional bondage”, Majithia said that he was sure that these two parties would jointly safeguard state’s interests besides further strengthening the communal harmony to stop nefarious designs of anti-Punjab parties and their outdated leaders.
Majithia, while describing Sidhu’s remarks as “unfortunate” and “sad”, reminded that during Sidhu’s elections, SAD had made significant contribution in ensuring his three consecutive victories. “It was prerogative of BJP high command to allot Amritsar Parliamentary ticket and his own party had decided to field another candidate,” he added.
BJP SHOUlD EXPlAIN AllIANCE WITH ‘lOOTERAS’: BAJWA
Chandigarh: Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa on Tuesday called upon the Bharatiya Janata Party to explain its alliance with the “looteras” in Punjab.
“This dubious description has been used for the Shiromani Akali Dal by the senior BJP leader and thrice MP Navjot Singh Sidhu who was party’s star campaigner in Haryana during the recent Assembly elections,” said Bajwa.