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Amid war of words in Cong, Sidhu says state must return to real issues
In a series of tweets, Navjot Sidhu, who has refrained from commenting on the issue, said the choice was between irreparable damage and the last chance for damage control
Amid a war of words in the party over former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s Pakistani friend Aroosa Alam, Punjab Congress Navjot Singh Sidhu said on Sunday that Punjab must come back to real issues facing the state.
In a series of tweets, Sidhu, who has refrained from commenting on the issue, said the choice was between irreparable damage and the last chance for damage control. “Punjab must come back to its real issues that concern Punjabi and our future generations…How will we counter the financial emergency that stares upon us? I will stick to the real issues and not let them take a backseat (sic),” he posted on the microblogging website.
A slugfest is on in the Punjab Congress after deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said a probe will be carried out to ascertain whether Aroosa Alam, a Pakistan journalist and Amarinder’s companion, has any links with that country’s spy agency ISI. Amarinder, while terming it a “baseless investigation”, accused the deputy CM of resorting to personal attacks. Sidhu’s wife Navjot Kaur and principal strategic adviser Mohammad Mustafa also jumped in to target the former chief minister.
Sidhu further asked who will bring back state’s resources to its coffers, instead of them going to private pockets and who will lead the initiative for resurrection our great state to prosperity. “Let the mist clear, reality shine like the sun upon the roadmap for revival of Punjab, shunning those who protect the selfish vested interests and focus only on the path that will lead to Jittega Punjab, Jittegi Punjabiyat and Jittega Har Punjabi,” he tweeted.
The PPCC chief has been repeatedly raising the 18-point agenda, including justice in sacrilege cases, action against big fish behind drug trafficking and cancellation of power purchase agreements, set by the Congress high command for implementation before assembly polls. He had raised his concerns over the to-do list in his meeting with AICC general secretaries KC Venugopal and Harish Rawat.
On October 15, he wrote a letter to party president Sonia Gandhi and pitched his Punjab model with 13-point agenda for the Congress manifesto for the upcoming assembly polls.
