Taking a dig at Navjot Singh Sidhu for quitting the Punjab cabinet, some of his ministerial colleagues said it’s a “drama” by the “king of theatrics” and urged him to show more dignity in his actions.
In a joint statement issued in Chandigarh on Sunday, Punjab cabinet ministers Brahm Mohindra and Charanjit Singh Channi wondered whether Sidhu “was so dumb he didn’t know that the cabinet minister post was not a party post, and his resignation could not be accepted by the Congress president.”
This is nothing but drama from the “king of theatrics”. If he had to resign, he should have followed protocol and sent it directly to the chief minister,” they said.
“Since when has Twitter become the platform for appointments and resignations and why did it take Sidhu 34 days to announce his resignation? Mohindra and Channi asked Sidhu. “He did not even take cognisance of the fact that it was such a crucial time for the power sector, with power being vital for paddy sowing. Clearly, Sidhu didn’t care about the detrimental effect of his actions,” Mohindra and Channi said. They claimed that Sidhu had kept the working of the power department in limbo for almost 40 days by not taking over the portfolio.
Another Punjab minister Tript Rajinder Bajwa said he would advise Sidhu to change his mind and join the cabinet. But, if he is firm on his decision, he should directly submit his resignation to the CM, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Another Punjab minister Tript Rajinder Bajwa said he would advise Sidhu to change his mind and join the cabinet. But, if he is firm on his decision, he should directly submit his resignation to the CM, he said.
{{/usCountry}}BJP leader Tarun Chugh said Sidhu submitted his resignation to Rahul Gandhi, who has already stepped down. “If he had to resign, he could have given his resignation to the Punjab Governor or the chief minister,” he said.
Chugh said Sidhu, who was allocated the power department, “was nowhere to be seen for 40 days when Punjab was reeling under power cuts”.
“Sidhu enjoyed a clean reputation and was gradually emerging as a tall leader, many in his own party could not digest this,” Aam Aadmi Party leader Harpal Cheema said. Simerjeet Bains of the Lok Insaaf Party said Sidhu was not given a free hand because he could not tolerate any wrongdoing.