New Delhi: Day after Cricketer turned Politician, Navjot Singh Sidhu, resigned as the Member of Rajya Sabha, Sidhu’s wife, Navjot Kaur in a press briefing on Tuesday said, resignation from the Rajya Sabha means that he has quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
She also said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) now appeared the only option for the three-time Lok Sabha MP who wants to serve Punjab.
“Let Sidhu say all these things himself. I am personally impressed by AAP’s ideology and (Delhi chief minister) Arvind Kejriwal’s working style,” she said.
The 52-year-old Sidhu’s decision to quit the Upper House is seen as a culmination of his tense equation with the BJP ever since he was denied the party ticket from Amritsar – a constituency he had represented thrice – in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. While his resignation is a major setback for the BJP, it has come as a shot in the arm for AAP ahead of the polls.
Navjot Kaur Sidhu, the Punjab government’s chief parliamentary secretary, however, added: “I have not resigned from BJP.”
She triggered a buzz earlier this year by advocating a split with the SAD ahead of the election. She also made noises about being sidelined due to their alleged sour equation with the SAD.
When asked about Sidhu, she reiterated: “It’s understood that he has resigned…BJP opted to please the Akalis in Punjab by ignoring Sidhu.” She also attacked Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, calling his “the biggest opportunist ever”.
The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine is staring at perceived anti-incumbency accumulated during the past ten years of its rule in Punjab.
Delhi’s ruling AAP is trying to make a foray into the state, ramping up its campaign efforts. Sidhu’s move came on the day AAP chief Kejriwal visited the Golden Temple, a famous Sikh shrine.