Navjot Singh Sidhu takes different line from Punjab congress, bats for I.N.D.I.A alliance

At a time when both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress unit in Punjab are gearing up to put up a solo fight, former Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has endorsed the decision of party high command to be in the Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A. Asserting that Congress high command will take decision, Sidhu said that a soldier cannot question the commander and is only obliged to follow the directions with discipline. 

Cricketer-turned-Politician Navjot Singh Sidhu asserted that fighting within a joint Opposition alliance is in the interest of the country, which he termed as in “national interest”. Calling the leaders looking at the party's interest as petty politics, Sidhu said that to safeguard democracy the parties need to fight together. He referred to the step as necessary for safeguarding democracy in the country. 

Navjot Singh Sidhu endorsed the top brass’ decision to go with the alliance while speaking to reporters. Earlier, he also shared his opinion on micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter) regarding the spat between the Punjab unit of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party over the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Sidhu asserted that elections are fought for the next generation to complement his ‘democracy statement’. “The decision of the party high command is supreme. It is for a greater cause that national interest has been kept paramount to honour the spirit of the constitution and to free the enchained institutions which draw their strength from constitutional values. Petty perish pump politics loaded with selfish vested interests should be discarded for safeguarding our DEMOCRACY. Elections are not fought for the next election, they are fought for the next generation. Long live INDIA. Jurrega BHARAT,” said the senior Congress leader in his post on X. 

Later in the day, the politician’s wife and former MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu said that groupism is not good for the party. “Here we are making groups within a party and destroying our very own to become prominent. That’s not the way. Taking everyone along and walking on the path of truth to make our parent party stronger is the way,” she said. 

The leader’s statement has come at a time when the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee has categorically announced its intention to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls independently. Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has declared its intent to independently contest all 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab during the 2024 general elections. "Punjab Congress is preparing to contest all 13 seats in Punjab as per the directions of the Congress high command,” said Warring. 

On the same note, the Aam Aadmi Party is also strategising to contest all 13 seats, ruling out any chances of alliance or seat-sharing arrangement in the state. AAP leader Anmol Gagan Maan and a minister in the Bhagwant Mann government have said that the party feels no need to forge an alliance. "People are loving the Mann government. We are with the people of Punjab. We will fight on all the seats. People like the working style of CM Mann. There is no need to forge an alliance with anyone, said the minister. 

The development is crucial as the Aam Aadmi Party is currently governing Punjab, and Congress is the second biggest party in the state, playing the crucial opposition.