Navjot Sidhu vows to stand by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra amid Punjab Congress infighting

Amid the ongoing political crisis in Punjab, Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday, October 2, said that he will uphold the principles of freedom fighters Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri. The cricketer-turned-politician said that he is going to stand by the Congress high command- Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra 'post or not post'. Barely two months after taking over the presidentship of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, he submitted his resignation from the post recently. The Congress party has, however, not accepted his resignation and is presently trying its best to convince him. 

'Let all the negative force try to defeat me'

Making clear that he is going to strive hard to make 'Punjab, Punjabiyat, and Punjabis win', Navjot Singh Sidhu in a tweet wrote, "Let negative force try to defeat me." The statement was perhaps an indirect dig at Amarinder Singh, who in a press conference on Thursday, asserted that Sidhu was not the 'right man to rule Punjab'. The former Punjab Chief Minister who is all set to tender his resignation from the Congress party added that he will not let Sidhu win. "No matter where Sidhu stands from in the polls, I will fight against him and make sure he loses," he had said. 

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu stepped down from his post barely a week after the Congress party appointed a new Chief Minister for the state. Sidhu affirmed that he will never compromise on Punjab's future and the agenda for the welfare of the state. Sources revealed that Sidhu was unhappy not only for being ignored for the CM's post but also for the appointment of Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota and Amar Preet Singh Deol as the DGP and Advocate General respectively.

On Thursday, Charanjit Singh Channi persuaded Sidhu to come to the talking table. In a big scoop from Navjot Singh Sidhu's meeting with Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, Republic Media Network was informed that the new CM stood his ground in their tug of war over key appointments. In the meeting, Channi made it clear that the appointment of Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota as Additional Director General of Police (ADG), and that of APS Deol as the Advocate General (AG) will not be overturned despite Sidhu's demands.

The Congress high command, however, after the meeting, asked Channi to give in to the demands of Sidhu and overturn the appointments of DGP and AG, said sources.