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Rahul 'bhai' to ‘pappu’ jibe, it's full circle for Navjot Sidhu and spouse as Congress exit confirmed: Back to BJP now?
Navjot Kaur Sidhu expelled from Cong; praises BJP, Modi days after saying husband would resume politics only if promised projection as CM in next year's polls
Navjot Singh Sidhu is busy garnishing India's top comedy talk show with guffaws, but his political moves are now showing a serious turn with barely a year left for the assembly election in his home state of Punjab. The Congress has formalised the expulsion of his wife and namesake, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, following a period of intense hostility between her and the party’s leadership.
Her fight seemed mostly with state unit president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring at first.
Then, at the moment of her stark departure, Navjot Kaur deployed a familiar jibe at the party's top national leader, Rahul Gandhi. She called him “pappu” — mostly a BJP coinage, meant to convey he's not smart enough.
This came just weeks after her husband, Navjot Singh Sidhu, and she hailed Rahul and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as "mentors" and "guiding angels".
CM chair and a ‘ ₹500 crore’ claim
In between, Navjot Kaur had said her husband, mostly absent from party activities for at least two years, would make a comeback to state politics only if the Congress projects him as its CM face.
She had made a claim that in Punjab the CM's chair can be had only by those who have ₹500 crore. "We always speak for Punjab and Punjabiyat... but do not have ₹500 crore which we can give to sit in chief minister's chair," she had said, speaking in Punjabi.
She later said she was generally referring to corruption in politics and did not mean the Congress's CM candidature is for sale.
Now, she has alleged that party tickets are for sale, and challenged Rahul to a TV debate.
For the ambitious couple — Navjot Kaur has lately been representing both — this happens to align with what their former party BJP alleges about the Congress and Rahul. But are the ex-cricketer and medical doctor-turned-politicians headed to the BJP? That question does not have an immediate answer, at least not on the record from them or BJP leaders. There's also Punjab's ruling AAP in this mix.
Fight with Warring, then an outburst at Rahul
The Congress's Punjab affairs in-charge Bhupesh Baghel on Friday announced the formal expulsion of Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu. While she had been suspended and later announced her resignation from the primary membership of the party about a week earlier, the party moved to formalise her exit by citing her recent conduct and statements.
The expulsion was confirmed during a media address at the residence of former MLA Rajkumar Verka, where Baghel was joined by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Raja Warring.
Navjot Singh Sidhu remains, at least technically, a member of the Congress party.
Navjot Kaur has launched a scathing, multi-post offensive on X, directly targeting Rahul Gandhi, and questioned his leadership and maturity. She said Rahul is “disconnected from ground realities” and trapped in a "self-created paradise". She further said a coterie surrounding Rahul Gandhi was responsible for “selling tickets” and keeping the leadership "in exile from the truth".
"He takes more than six months to react to an emergency call, by which time loss is inevitable," she posted, advising the party high command to be "more mindful, mature, and practical".
She then challenged Rahul Gandhi to face her in a televised debate about the party’s operations in Punjab.
180-degree turn on Gandhis?
Her outburst represents a 180-degree turn for the Sidhus.
Only months ago, Navjot Singh Sidhu shared a photograph with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, captioning it with an expression of deep gratitude to her and “bhai” ('brother' Rahul Gandhi) for standing by him during “rough and tough times”.
This apparent proximity to the Gandhis was once a cornerstone of the Sidhus' political identity within the Congress, which he often used to bypass state-level leaders such as CM Capt Amarinder Singh.
Sidhu had come to the Congress after toying with building his own front, or even joining the AAP, upon exiting the BJP ahead of the 2017 Punjab polls. He was a multiple-term MP from the BJP, and his wife was an MLA who also served as a Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) in an Akali-BJP regime, essentially a kind of junior minister. The CPS post was later struck down as unconstitutional by court.
Sidhu was a front-row campaigner for Modi and a prominent Sikh face for the Hindutva-centric party, but left the BJP alleging it wanted to sideline him in Punjab at the behest of bigger partner Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
The couple's stay in the Congress was shorter than in the BJP, but much more eventful. After the 2017 Congress win, the former Team India opener became a minister in Amarinder Singh's government.
Ahead of the next poll battle, he co-engineered a revolt and was seen as a possible replacement for Amarinder. But the party chose Charanjit Singh Channi instead. A massive loss followed, for Sidhu and the party.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept to power in 2022. Sidhu resigned from the post of Punjab Congress chief. Then, a ghost of the past caught up with Sidhu. He had to serve a jail term of about a year for assault that caused a man's death back in his days as a young cricketer in Patiala. Navjot Kaur's battle with cancer also threw up personal challenges.
He returned later to his throne as “guru” on Kapil Sharma's comedy show, but not to his boisterous political career.
The Congress is now led by a relatively young Raja Warring. Sidhu's wife is among party leaders who consistently undermined him. In her exit notes, Navjot Kaur labeled Warring the “most horrific, incapable, and corrupt president ever”.
Warring, a poster boy of Team Rahul, fought back in similar language, saying Navjot Kaur "needs mental treatment", noting that her "resignation" was moot because she'd already been suspended after the “ ₹500 crore for CM post” remark.
After that “ ₹500 crore" by his wife remark sparked a rupture, Navjot Singh Sidhu reportedly failed to get a meeting with Priyanka Gandhi, though neither of them has confirmed such a development.
360-degree turn to BJP, or a new path?
As for the future, there are not-so-mixed signals about where the Sidhus may want to head next. Navjot Kaur has praised PM Modi multiple times within days. Consistently speaking for herself as well for her spouse, she has said the BJP “recognised my talent”.
She tagged the Prime Minister’s Office and Amit Shah in her X posts.
On the day she announced her resignation from the Congress, she welcomed Modi to Punjab, urging the people to receive him with “loving hearts”.
The PM, too, focused on Punjab when he visited Dera Sachkhand at Ballan near Jalandhar which is seen as the primary sect for the Ravidassia community of Dalits. Home minister Amit Shah is also headed to Punjab this month to focus on farmers, a section dominated by Jat Sikhs.
But the party still has no main Sikh face for the Sikh-majority state.
Sidhu's former Congress bete noire Amarinder Singh, 83, is with the BJP but is all-but-retired, often lamenting he's not being consulted.
Sunil Jakhar, seen as a prominent Hindu face, had also left the Congress during the 2022 upheaval, reportedly miffed at not being made CM instead of Channi. He is now the Punjab BJP chief, trying to give the party its own footing in the state as its Akali Dal alliance was broken over the later-repealed farm laws in 2020-21.
There is constant chatter that the BJP and SAD will come back together, which could complicate matters for Sidhu who's been ballistic against SAD leaders Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia in the past.
What BJP's Chugh, AAP's Arora said
But will the BJP welcome the Sidhus even if they are willing?
Tarun Chugh, national general secretary of the party who is from Punjab, was asked about this. “Look, who's leaving which party is their own matter. But the allegations that she (Navjot Kaur) has leveled… reveal the Congress's internal corruption,” he said, “And she has also revealed that the Congress and AAP are working together in Punjab.”
Pressed, about the Sidhus, he said, “These days their affections are reserved for the Raja Warring… Bhagwant Mann… Arvind Kejriwal,” and laughed the possibility away, for now. “There's no application from them as of now!”
The state AAP leadership moved quickly to distance from rumours of the Sidhus joining their ranks. Punjab unit chief Aman Arora told the media, "Navjot Singh Sidhu is a 'migratory bird' who is only interested in his own political survival. AAP is a party of disciplined workers and principled governance; there is no room here for those who prioritise celebrity-driven theatrics over the welfare of the common man."
Navjot Kaur has claimed they have not been approached by any political party. She said she can serve Punjab even via an NGO since that's all she wishes to do.
