Navjot Sidhu to meet Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi amid Congress tensions brewing over Sidhu’s attacks against Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh.
Navjot Sidhu’s admonitions against Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh rose after he quit the state cabinet in 2019. Those attacks have intensified and turned sour leading the Congress party into a fragile situation that could affect the party in assembly elections next year.
Now, Navjot Singh Sidhu will meet former party president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Delhi on Tuesday. This is occurring after several meetings between the top Congress leaders and those from Punjab to resolve the continuous strife between Sidhu and Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
During this, Rahul Gandhi has reached out to try to resolve the crisis in the Punjab unit of the Congress, engaging with several leaders from the state at his residence. Vijendra Singla, Rana Gurjit Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Shamsher Singh Dhillon, and MLA Lakhvir Singh were among those who met him on Friday.
The leaders told the media after the meeting that concrete decisions were done to reinforce the party ahead of the assembly elections due next year in Punjab.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi met Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Sunil Jakhar, Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Harish Rawat.
Navjot Singh Sidhu (born 20 October 1963) is an Indian politician, television personality, and former cricketer. He was the Minister of Local Government, Tourism & Cultural Affairs of the State of Punjab.
As a professional cricketer, Sidhu had a career spanning over 19 years after his first-class debut in 1981–82. Playing frequently as a top-order batsman, Sidhu went on to play in 51 Tests and 136 One Day Internationals for his country. He came to be known for his six-hitting ability and earned the nickname “Sixer Sidhu” After retirement, he turned to commentary and television, most notably as a judge of comedy shows, and as a permanent guest in Comedy Nights with Kapil (2013–2015) and later The Kapil Sharma Show (2016–2019). He was a contestant in the reality television show Bigg Boss (2012) and was seen in the show Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa.
Sidhu joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2004 and contested the general election from Amritsar that year. He won the election and held the seat till 2014 winning also the next election. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2016 from Punjab before he resigned from the position the same year and quitting the party. In 2017, he joined the Indian National Congress and was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Amritsar East.
