“Navjot Sidhu is an integral part of our party,” said Captain Amarinder Singh.
New Delhi:
Cricketer turned politician Navjot Singh Sidhu is very much in Congress and will not be going to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), said Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh today. Arvind Kejriwal.
Amarinder Singh aka “Captain” said he confirmed this with the man who allegedly arranged talks between Navjot Sidhu and Arvind Kejriwal – master strategist Prashant Kishor.
“Navjot Sidhu is an integral part of our party. As for Prashant Kishor who is approaching Sidhu to join the PAA, this is not true and this was confirmed to me by Prashant himself,” said the Prime Minister.
Speaking of Mr. Kishor, who would have played a big role in the victory of Congress in Punjab in 2017, the captain said: “We are friends, my deputies want him to develop an election strategy. Prashant Kishor said that he would be very happy to come and help. “
The Punjab is due to have elections in 2022.
There has been intense speculation that Mr. Sidhu, who has been on a sulk for over a year and has not been actively involved in Congress activities for months, is in talks with the PAA, a party with which he flirted earlier.
Reports suggest that Kishor had approached the flamboyant ex-Punjab minister and asked him to join the PAA, which is planning an aggressive campaign for Punjab polls.
Kejriwal’s comment on News 18 has heightened speculation. “He is welcome,” said the chief minister of Delhi and the head of the PAA, when asked about the possibility of Mr. Sidhu’s entry.
In 2016, after leaving the BJP, Mr. Sidhu joined Congress despite several indications that he was headed for the PAA. Sources say there were disagreements over Mr. Sidhu’s terms for joining AAP.
But his time in Congress was largely unsatisfactory. Sidhu, 56, had a quarrel with Amarinder Singh and left his post as Punjab minister last year after numerous clashes. The last drop for him was when his portfolio went from local government to power, which he considered downgrading.
The flamboyant cricket commentator also skipped election campaigns in Haryana and Delhi despite his name as one of the leading activists in Congress.
His break with Amarinder Singh widened with his frequent acts of defiance; the Chief Minister complained to Congress that Mr. Sidhu had gone to Pakistan for Imran Khan’s oath ceremony despite his objections.
