Sidhu-Capt feud: Tript Rajinder Bajwa asks Sidhu to quit as minister

Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 1

A day after Punjab Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu “refused to accept” Capt Amarinder Singh as his captain, his cabinet colleague and close confidant of the CM, Housing minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa hit out at Sidhu, asking him to quit as minister.

Talking to The Tribune, Bajwa minced no words as he said that Sidhu should quit as a minister in the Punjab cabinet, since he has refused to acknowledge the leadership of Capt Amarinder Singh. “Since he does not know who the captain of the ship is, he should jump from the ship,” the senior minister said.

On Friday, while talking to mediapersons in Hyderabad, where Sidhu is campaigning for the Telangana Assembly polls, he had said, “Which captain are you talking about? Oh...Capt Amarinder Singh? He is an army captain. My captain is Rahul Gandhi. His captain too is Rahul Gandhi,” when asked about Capt Amarinder Singh asking him not to attend the function of Kartarpur Sahib corridor ground-breaking ceremony in Pakistan.

Angry at the minister scoffing at Amarinder, Bajwa told The Tribune that it was regretful that the local bodies minister had revolted in such a manner, by using the name of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, and trying to falsely project that he got his power from the Congress central leadership. 

Interestingly, Sidhu on Saturday went back on his statement issued on Friday, saying he had not been asked by Rahul Gandhi to go to Pakistan, rather he went there on the invitation of Pakistan PM Imran Khan.

On Friday, he had said that Rahul Gandhi had asked him to go to Pakistan, and other top Congress leaders had supported his decision to go there.

Reacting to this change of stand, Bajwa also advised Sidhu to remain consistent in his stand, if he were looking at a longer innings in politics.

The Housing and Rural Development Minister also asked Sidhu to talk less, so that he could attain “his ultimate political goal”.

“His (Sidhu’s) posture and body language are very hurting and disgusting while the tone signals humiliation of Capt Amarinder Singh. He has no moral right to continue as a member of Capt Amarinder Singh’s cabinet,” said the minister.