Congress Suspends Navjot Kaur Sidhu From Party's Membership After 'Rs 500 Crore Suitcase' Remark

Chandigarh: The Congress party has suspended senior party leader Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of former Punjab party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. She was suspended from the party’s primary membership a day after her "suitcase of Rs 500 crore for CM" remark. The Punjab Congress president, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, issued the order just a day after Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu stirred a firestorm by claiming that a suitcase of Rs 500 crore is the price tag for anyone who wants to become Punjab’s chief minister. 

Dr Sidhu, speaking to the press after meeting Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Sunday, said that she and her husband, former cricketer Sidhu, speak only for Punjab but don’t have that kind of cash, adding that “the one who gives a suitcase of Rs 500 crore becomes the Chief Minister”. She also warned of deep infighting, saying at least five leaders are vying for the top post and would block her husband’s comeback unless the party officially names him as its CM face.

However, she later clarified that she and her husband, Navjot Singh Sidhu, do not possess such money and were merely pointing out what she perceived as the party’s “money‑bag politics”.

The BJP, meanwhile, jumped on the remark, calling it evidence of institutionalised corruption within Congress. Spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the comment shows the party is “totally engulfed in corrupt practices”. 

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar stated that, recalling a rumour that a former Congress chief minister allegedly paid Rs 350 crore for the post, and he also blasted the AAP government, labelling the state police “uniformed gangsters” and demanding the BJP be given a chance to clean up Punjab’s law‑and‑order mess.

Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that Dr  Navjot Kaur's comments had exposed the reality of the Congress model, implying that chief ministers in the party are effectively for sale. He also took on former Congress leader Sunil Jakhar, now the BJP state president, accusing him of being a silent witness to alleged corruption while he was with Congress .

Senior Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa stated that the remark was regrettable and accused Dr Navjot Kaur of neglecting the party during the 2022 elections, when Priyanka Gandhi campaigned in Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s constituency. He questioned how much was paid for the post of PCC president and warned that such indiscipline threatened the party’s future .

In a post on X on Sunday, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu expressed shock at the way her words had been twisted, reiterating that she had never demanded money and that the party’s focus should be on serving Punjab. She added that she and her husband could still transform Punjab into a golden state without any financial inducements . The suspension letter gave no specific reason, but the episode has reignited internal tensions ahead of the upcoming assembly polls. 

Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been absent from party activities, missed the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign, returned to IPL commentary and recently launched a personal YouTube channel.