Amarinder claims Pak  PM requested him to reinstate Sidhu in Govt

| | Chandigarh
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Amarinder claims Pak  PM requested him to reinstate Sidhu in Govt

Tuesday, 25 January 2022 | PNS | Chandigarh

Creating a buzz in Punjab’s political circles, former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday claimed that he had received a “request” from Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to reinstate cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Cabinet.  Amarinder’s ally, the BJP, was quick to demand an investigation into Sidhu’s tenure as the Cabinet Minister and also as the Punjab Congress president.

Amarinder, addressing a press conference to announce a seat-sharing pact with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt), said: “After I dropped Navjot Sidhu from my Government, I got a message from Pakistan that he is an old friend of their Prime Minister and he would be grateful if you can keep him in the Government. If he (Sidhu) doesn’t work, then you can remove him.”  Amarinder had dropped Sidhu, who was the then Local Government Minister, from his Cabinet after blaming him for the Congress party’s poor performance in the urban areas during 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Amarinder, who had earlier been opposing inducting Sidhu in the Congress  never had good relations with the former cricketer. He had, in fact, assertively opposed Sidhu’s elevation as the Congress’ Punjab unit chief.

It was after a long-drawn bitter tussle with Sidhu that Capt Amarinder finally stepped down as the Chief Minister in September last, and went on to float his own outfit which will now contest ensuing Punjab polls in alliance with the BJP and an Akali faction led by stalwart Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. Reacting to Capt Amarinder’s disclosure over Sidhu, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Monday said that Punjab Congress Chief stood completely exposed for his links not only with Imran Khan but also covertly with the Pakistan Army and the ISI at whose behest Imran Khan has been running the Pakistan government.  “The cat is completely and shamelessly out of bag,” said Chugh while demanding an investigation into Sidhu's tenure as the Cabinet Minister and also as the PCC president. “Some central agency should look into his role for fomenting trouble in the border state,” he said. Chugh said Amarinder has made very serious observations about Sidhu and it was for the AICC president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to explain how they had been promoting and protecting a “Pakistan mole” in the Congress Government here.

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