Navjot Sidhu maintains silence on Congress' CM face in Punjab; 'High Command will decide'

Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday said that the High Command will decide the Chief Ministerial face for the 2022 Punjab assembly polls. He said that the party who had people like BR Ambedkar, Indira Gandhi, Lala Lajpat Rai know to make their decisions.

"There is a high commission to decide on CM candidate. I did not make the Punjab model for any position. I keep thinking about Punjab. Punjab is my passion. My intention is to work for the development of the state...The party who had people like Ambedkar, Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Lala Lajpat Rai know to make their decisions," Navjot Sidhu said.

The grand old party has not yet announced the CM candidate for Punjab amid a reported tussle between Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Navjot Sindhu. Meanwhile, both Channi and Sidhu have urged the party to declare CM face.

Sidhu said that the first work after coming to power in the state will be to generate income. "The government will also get rid of mafia, monopoly of cable, fixed rate of sand...Punjab is fighting to become an Aatmanirbhar state. I want to see a toll free Punjab," Sidhu said.

He added, "Employment is the most important issue in the upcoming elections. We will create skill-oriented entrepreneurship in the state and connect it to sports. The Punjab model is an inspiration of Manmohan Singh Ji's approach to development."

He said that the Punjab model aims at 10 industrial and 13 food processing clusters. "We'll transform Mohali into an IT hub and startup city. We see Mohali as the silicon valley of North India. I'll invite Elon Musk (Tesla owner) to Punjab and create the biggest EV industry in Ludhiana," the Punjab Congress said.

Sidhu attacks Kejriwal

Attacking Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sidhu said that he is the kind of person who is trying to ruin the peace of the state. "He is a dictator and wants to work everything under his control," Sidhu said.

The Republic TV-PMARQ Opinion Poll has projected a neck and neck fight between AAP and Congress in Punjab. The Opinion Poll projected that AAP may get 50-56 seats (37.8 %) of the total 117 seats, Congress 42-48 seats (35%), SAD 13 to 17 seats (15.8%), BJP 1-3 seats (5.7%) and others 1-3 seats (5.6%). The state will go into the polls on February 20.