Navjot Singh Sidhu snubbed? Rahul Gandhi says 'no meeting' as Punjab MLA reaches amid row

A day after Navjot Singh Sidhu said that he will be meeting the Gandhis in Delhi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday stated that he had no meeting scheduled with Sidhu. In the evening, Rahul Gandhi left for party president Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence. On Monday, Sidhu's team confirmed that he would meet with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on June 29. Earlier, Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh also returned from Delhi after he was unable to meet with the Congress high command. 

'No meeting with Sidhu': Rahul Gandhi 

Sidhu Assured Post After Punjab Polls

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had formed a three-member committee comprising Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge, ex-Delhi MP JP Agarwal, and AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab Harish Rawat to end factionalism in the party's Punjab unit. In the last month, the panel that was constituted on May 28 has met multiple stakeholders including MLAs, Ministers, and the CM to ascertain their views ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls. As per sources, the former cricketer-turned-politician has been assured that he will be given an important post after the election. At the same time, the party top brass has warned Sidhu that action will be taken against him if he continues making statements against Amarinder Singh and the Punjab government, sources added.  

Rift between Sidhu and Captain Amarinder Singh widens

While Navjot Singh Sidhu has continued to be an MLA after resigning from the Cabinet in July 2019, he maintained a distance from party activities. Moreover, he has been repeatedly attacking the state government and the Punjab CM over the purported delay injustice in the incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib and the subsequent police firing incident. Though Singh and Sidhu attempted to resolve their differences over tea on March 17, 2021, a positive outcome proved to be elusive.

The relationship took a turn for the worse after the Punjab & Haryana HC quashed the SIT probe into the firing cases on April 9. Breaking his silence on Sidhu's attacks, Captain Amarinder on April 27 dared him to contest from Patiala in the 2022 polls and predicted that he will lose his deposit. Furthermore, he contended that Sidhu wanted to join some other party.  In another development, the ex-cricketer has dared the CM to take action amid speculation that the Punjab Vigilance Bureau is investigating some allegations against him and his aides. 

(Image Credits: PTI)