Punjab Congress chief reacts to Sidhu-Mann meet: 'Action against anyone who weakens party'

Breaking his silence on the meeting between Navjot Singh Sidhu and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring issued an implicit warning. While making it clear that his predecessor is free to meet anyone, the Punjab Congress president told the media on Monday that his aim should be to strengthen the party. Refraining from talking about his complaint against Sidhu to the Congress high command, Raja Warring stressed that action should be taken against anyone who tries to weaken the Sonia Gandhi-led party. 

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring remarked, "Meeting someone doesn't make any difference. You have permission to meet anyone if you talk about strengthening the Congress party. If someone talks about weakening our party, action will be taken against him". Dubbing his meeting with Mann as the "most constructive 50 minutes spent", Sidhu slammed his own party for not taking action on key issues when it was in power. 

"I feel whether someone complained or not is a matter within the family. I don't want to reveal it in front of you. But I want to say that rules and regulations are applicable to everyone irrespective of whether he is a small or big leader. I feel that action should be taken against anyone who tries to weaken the party," he added.

Sidhu at loggerheads with party

Navjot Sidhu was asked to step down as the Punjab Congress chief after the party's crushing defeat in the Assembly polls. Moreover, he himself faced embarrassment as he lost to AAP's Jeevan Jyot Kaur in Amritsar East by 6,750 votes. His lack of rapport with Warring was seen in the fact that he did not attend the ceremony to mark the latter's installation as the new Punjab Congress president. The cricketer-turned-politician also created a buzz by meeting the Punjab Governor without keeping Warring in the loop.

In trouble for Sidhu, Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Chaudhary wrote to party president Sonia Gandhi on April 23 seeking an explanation from Sidhu as to why disciplinary action shouldn't be taken against him. As per sources, the matter has now reached the party's disciplinary committee. Earlier, former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar was removed from all party posts over his purported 'anti-party activities'. 

Harish Chaudhary wrote, "Having been in-charge of the party's affairs in Punjab from November until now, it has also been my observation that Shri Sidhu continuously criticised the functioning of the Congress government terming it corrupt and hand in glove with the Shiromani Akali Dal. As the party was fighting the elections, it was inappropriate for Shri Sidhu to set such a precedent. Inspite of my repeated advice to Shri Sidhu to avoid such activities, he continued to speak against the government relentlessly. I am forwarding Shri Raja Warring's detailed note regarding Shri Sidhu's current activities along with this letter."