Navjot Singh Sidhu: Won’t be showpiece to win poll
In a clear message to the Congress high command, PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday said he would not take the responsibility of bringing the party to power if the sand, liquor and cable mafias continued to thrive after the 2022 Assembly elections.
Mincing no words, the PCC chief, in an apparent reference to the party leadership not clarifying on the chief ministerial face in the Assembly elections, said commitment to party leaders Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi was unquestionable. “But I cannot cheat Punjab. The commitment was subject to betterment of Punjab, and not just being instrumental in bringing the party to power,” he pointed out.
The PCC chief was replying to query on the party leadership opting for another CM face, despite people voting for him, during a public interaction event organised by NGO ‘Bolda Punjab’.
“I have given my word to Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Whatever responsibility they will put on my shoulders, I will deliver. But I will not take Punjab for a ride. But if anybody says I should shoulder responsibility and make govt, but after that sand, liquor and cable mafias continue to thrive, Sidhu will die rather than being a witness to all this.”
“I have the guts to say no. Allurements have been there. Be it Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha or ministership, I have rejected these for the betterment of Punjab,” he said, adding: “I have ‘Punjab Model’ for betterment of the state. We are a democratic party…. This time it will not be about 5,000 promises.”
Sidhu said Punjab would not change by offering lollipops and spreading lies. It needed vision and research-based policies for budgetary allocations, he said, referring to Rs 100 monthly cable connection fee announced by CM Charanjit Singh Channi. He was pointing to his revenue model of regulating the big players in the cable business.
Without referring to himself as the most suitable candidate for the CM face in the Assembly elections, Sidhu urged the participants to use their moral authority to vote and not get influenced by false promises and manipulated voter’s surveys. “I have the power of honesty, and my devotion for Punjab,” he added.
