Amidst the ongoing Twitter war between Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Punjab Congress’ former president Navjot Singh Sidhu with the two even discussing each other’s personal lives, the Congress leader’s wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu on Friday revealed a “hidden secret”, claiming that the former’s chair was “gifted” to him by her husband.
 
Dr Navjot, a former MLA and the former Chief Parliamentary Secretary, further claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) “senior most leader”, in a clear reference to party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, wanted Sidhu to lead Punjab. Revealing further, she said that Kejriwal had approached Sidhu through “various channels” “to lead Punjab” knowing about his passion for our state.
 
“CM , Bhagwant Mann ; let me today open out a hidden secret from your treasure hunt. You should know that the very honourable chair you are occupying has been gifted to you by your big brother, Mr Navjot Sidhu. Your very own senior most leader had desired Navjot to lead Punjab,” tweeted Dr Navjot in a series of tweets on Friday.
 
She further said, “Mr Kejriwal through various channels approached him to lead Punjab knowing about his passion for our state. Just because he didn’t want to betray his party and thought that 2 strong headed people might clash when it came to strategy to uplift Punjab, he gave you a chance.”
 
“His only concern is the welfare of Punjab and he has sacrificed everything for it. You tread on the path of TRUTH and he shall support you but the moment you deviate he will target you left and right. Golden Punjab state is his dream and he lives it 24 hours a day,” she concluded.
 
Responding to her tweets in a poetic style, AAP’s chief spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang tweeted, “Dil ko behlane ke liye Ghalib, khayal achha hai.”
 
“The people of Punjab had already rejected Sidhu. Bhagwant Mann is the most popular leader who, before becoming the CM, had served as an MP twice. He is a non-controversial leader and people have elected him as the CM,” said Kang in the tweet.
 
Notably, Punjab went to polls in February 2022, in which the AAP secured a landslide victory bagging record 92 seats. Bhagwant Mann, who was already declared AAP’s chief ministerial face, took oath as the Chief Minister on March 16.
 
Dr Sidhu’s response came at a time when her husband Sidhu and Bhagwant Mann are taking potshots at one another, with their slanging match getting personal.
 
After Sidhu took on Mann at an all-party meeting in Jalandhar to support Ajit newspaper Editor-in-Chief Barjinder Hamdard a few days ago, Mann on Wednesday retorted in the same way.
 
Recalling Sidhu’s attack, Mann had, on Wednesday, said: “Sidhu was saying that the only badlav (change) Mann brought was that he changed his wife…I want to remind Sidhu sahib that you, too, are the son of the second wife. If your father had not brought about this change at your home, you would not have been born.”
 
Mann was responding to Sidhu’s remarks during the Jalandhar all-party meeting, where he had took potshot and the former comedian, “Eh Majnu Mann, jehdra badlaav karan challeya si, sivaaye gharwali de badleya ki ehne? (This Majnu Mann was going to bring about a change. But what has he changed except his wife?)”
 
Furthering his attack on Sidhu, Mann had stated, “Sidhu was like a suit gifted during weddings which nobody wants to accept or even unpack. It keeps getting passed on as a gift. But the Congress opened that packet and got Sidhu out. They are now trying hard to get him back into it but to no avail.”
 
“These people have studied in branded schools. We are from government schools. What was he saying? I will respond to him in the same language,” said Mann, adding that in fact the person, with whom they have gone to express their hamdardi (sympathy), also has two wives.
 
Responding to Mann’s claims, Dr Navjot, on Thursday, had corrected him that her father-in-law had only one marriage.
 
“CM ,Bhagwant Mann ji. I don't think Navjot has commented seriously about your personal life because we have absolutely no right to talk about it. But you have got some facts wrong. Navjot Sidhu’s father, (Advocate General Punjab) Mr Bhagwant Singh Sidhu had only one marriage,” she had tweeted on Thursday.
 
Sidhu had also tweeted, “…my father; renowned freedom fighter, MLA, MLC and Advocate General of Punjab only married once at the age of 40……..mother twice when she already had two daughters……”