The “thoko-taali” comedian of an entertainment show Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday made his appearance on the screen and said everything without really saying anything.
Guru ho gaya shuru, when it came to the BJP, but the cricketer-politician-comedian refused to lay his cards on the table when it comes to his departure from the saffron brigade and joining the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Against expectations, Sidhu maintained a strategic silence on two key questions: Whether he has resigned from the BJP as well, and whether he will join AAPIJ — the stand described as “pressure tactics” by the State BJP leaders. However, the second question will arise only after the first is answered.
A section of BJP leaders have been criticising the three-time MP for lashing out at the party, even though he himself ignored his constituency at the end of his tenure as Amritsar MP, and stayed out of Punjab. They have also maintained that by using such “pressure tactics”, the former opening batsman is “keeping his options open”.
Interestingly, only a day before, Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla had categorically stated that Sidhu has not resigned from the BJP and he was still a part of the saffron party.
But, Sidhu’s Monday outburst on his parent party has made it clear that he would finally announce his decision to bid adieu to the BJP, in case his demands, of breaking ties with its ally in Punjab — the SAD, is not met.
Sampla, also a Union Minister, had stated that efforts were made to contact Sidhu, but he did not respond. Obviously, BJP did not want losing lone strong leader and party’s face in Punjab, that too ahead of the crucial 2017 polls.
However, the State BJP leaders believed Sidhu “crossed all lakshman rekhas” to attack the BJP for keeping him away from Punjab, for whom his heart solely beats.
“He is just buying time…he has already made up his mind. He actually made up his mind the day he resigned from the Rajya Sabha. But he did not resign from the BJP just to maintain pressure on the party he wants to join. He is using the media as a way to negotiate things with that party...it could either be AAP or Congress,” a senior Punjab BJP leader told The Pioneer.
Another BJP leader said as the high command has made it clear the party would contest polls in alliance with the SAD, Sidhu is left with limited avenues.
Sidhu’s MlA wife, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, had already given enough indications that the two would eventually join AAP. She even went on to say that AAP was the “only option” with Sidhu.
Sources informed the former Amritsar MP had a breakfast meeting with the AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday, in which terms of joining were discussed in detail, but failed to reach on consensus.
Confirming but refusing to divulge much, a senior AAP leader said negotiations had reached a dead-end. It has been learnt that while Sidhu wanted a greater role and a larger say in the party, Kejriwal has already clarified that whoever wanted to join AAP, has to be an aam aadmi (common man) first.
Taking on Sidhu for criticising BJP, party’s State secretary Subhash Sharma shot off an “open letter” to cricketer-turned-politician questioning his “absence” from the State when Punjab “went through turmoil”, and when “all were sad and were in grief on the sacrilege of holy Guru Granth Sahib”.
“In this political weather, it is very easy to start gauging political weight, but I wanted to add, please don’t think that we Punjabis are fools and will not be able to spot your political gimmickry,” said Sharma, in his letter.
He came down heavily on Sidhu for “making quick bucks by laughing at the comedy show, or making cricket match commentary”, when Punjab faced two terrorists’ attacks, farmers committed suicide, cotton crops destroyed, etc.
Saying that the former MP “embarrassed” those who did well to him, Sharma said the Sidhu couple “chose to backstab” the BJP and its trust.