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Navjot Sidhu calls expelled ex-MLA Dhiman ‘asset’; announces to hold dist-level rallies from November
Former Punjab Congress president Navjot Sidhu on Tuesday said expelled former MLA Surjit Singh Dhiman was a ‘political asset’. He said he was fighting a battle to protect the interests of Punjab
Former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday said expelled former MLA Surjit Singh Dhiman was a ‘political asset’.
Dhiman, who represented the Amargarh assembly segment thrice, was shown the door for “anti-party” activity after he questioned the appointment of the Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as the new Congress president this month after replacing Sidhu.
Addressing a press conference in Bathinda, Sidhu said he was fighting a battle to protect the interests of Punjab and boost the morale of the party workers.
“Dhiman was elected MLA thrice and I consider him as an asset,” he said while evading a reply if having Dhiman with him in a political space was defiance of Congress leadership’s decision.
On the occasion, several Congress leaders from Bathinda, Fazilka, Mansa and other districts, including ex-MP from Ferozepur Sher Singh Ghubaya, ex-MLAs Nazar Singh Manshahia, Jagdev Kamalu, shared the political event where Dhiman was given a prominence space.
Prior to media interaction, Sidhu held a meeting with Congress leaders and workers at a hotel in Bathinda for nearly two hours.
No key political face from Bathinda Urban segment was present on the occasion.
Sharing his next political plans, Sidhu, who was removed as the state party chief after the Congress faced a humiliating defeat in the recent assembly polls, said he would soon start holding village-level meetings before organising big district-level rallies from November onwards.
He criticised the state Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on various fronts.
“I am working to make the Congress strong. I am meeting the committed party workers as it is needed to battle with AAP. We will succeed in forming the next government,” he said.
A turncoat, Sidhu said he would meet the Punjab governor on Thursday to highlight serious issues of the state but confirmed that Congress party chief Warring was not part of the delegation.
“As per the protocol, three names of the delegation were forwarded (to the Raj Bhawan). If pradhan (president) accepts to lead the delegation, I will volunteer to withdraw from Thursday’s meeting. Punjab is facing serious challenges of governance and the AAP government lacks a vision and blueprint to redress the core issues like drugs, unemployment, electricity crisis and generation of revenues from various resources,” he added.
