After Anil Joshi organised a press conference on Monday to demand the Lok Sabha candidature of senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley from Amritsar, the sitting MP's wife, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, hit back at the minister, saying his views are his personal.
"The views of a few leaders in a press conference cannot be the voice of the people," said Amritsar East legislator Dr Sidhu, adding: "Thousands of people come to me saying they want Navjot Singh Sidhu as candidate from Amritsar."
She said if some leaders wanted Arun Jaitley to contest from Amritsar, they should convey their sentiments to the party's central parliamentary board and not the press. "We will follow what the party High command decides in the parliamentary board meeting," she opined.
In April last year, Dr Sidhu, who is also a chief parliamentary secretary, had gone all out against a few leaders who had posted on a social networking website that her husband had been sidelined in the party and that was the reason of his long absence from the constituency.
Later, the MP, Navjot Singh Sidhu, had taken on the Punjab government, especially the ruling Badal family, by accusing them of scuttling his pet projects for Amritsar. Since then, the MP and the Badals are on bad terms but Sidhu is intent on contesting only from Amritsar.
{{/usCountry}}Later, the MP, Navjot Singh Sidhu, had taken on the Punjab government, especially the ruling Badal family, by accusing them of scuttling his pet projects for Amritsar. Since then, the MP and the Badals are on bad terms but Sidhu is intent on contesting only from Amritsar.
{{/usCountry}}The Monday's press conference to demand Jaitley's candidature from Amritsar in place of Sidhu's has puzzled the MP's supporters. "Sidhu is our only winner from the last time when many of the party candidates lost in the northern region. How can some party leaders demand to replace him," said former district BJP president colonel Amrik Singh.