Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu’s demand to arrest Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who is wanted in a drugs case, has sparked a new war within the state Congress unit.
Navjot Singh Sidhu has openly targeted his own government while addressing public meetings in the state. Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who also holds the portfolio of the Home Department, are on his target.
“Only an FIR has been registered. Why has he (Bikram Majithia) not been arrested yet?” Sidhu questioned Randhawa in his recent public meeting.
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Not only Navjot Singh Sidhu, but the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also accused the Punjab government in the Rs 6,000 crore synthetic drug case.
AAP leader Raghav Chadha said, ‘There is an agreement between the Congress government and the Akali Dal. So Bikram Majithia has not been arrested yet.
Navjot Singh Sidhu and AAP targeted Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said that Sidhu was not happy with him After being promoted as Home Minister.
Addressing the media on Monday, Randhawa said, “The FIR has already been registered and raids are being conducted to arrest Bikram Majithia, who is behaving like a fox.”
Randhawa also offered to step down, saying the allegations leveled by Navjot Sidhu were “false”.
Congress leaders ask Sidhu to learn party culture
Navjot Singh Sidhu is also the target of some Congress leaders from Punjab, including the state cabinet ministers. Some of these leaders are Rana Gurjit Singh, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa.
While Bharat Bhushan Ashu has asked Sidhu to learn Congress culture, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Rana Gurjit Singh have criticized him for his “autocratic style of working”.
Eyebrows were raised after Navjot Singh Sidhu announced party tickets at public rallies on Monday, apart from some announcements. Congress leaders, who are heading the election manifesto and screening committees, have also objected to Sidhu’s public announcements.
Rajya Sabha MP and former PCC chief Shamsher Singh Dullo has also advised Sidhu to follow the culture of Congress.
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While Shamsher Dulo praised Sidhu for demanding the arrest of Bikram Majithia, he also criticized the Channi government for not taking action against former cabinet minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, who is accused of masterminding the Dalit scholarship scam.
The Congress high command is said to be aware of the ongoing power struggle between Navjot Singh Sidhu and factions led by CM Channi and Randhawa, among others.
The party high command has decided to contest the 2022 assembly elections under the collective leadership of Channi, Sidhu and former PCC chief Sunil Jakhar as they represent Dalit, Jat and Hindu faces.