Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh/New Delhi
Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu called it quits from the state Cabinet on Sunday after a public scuffle with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh that lasted for months.
Singh had changed Sidhu’s portfolio from Local Bodies, Tourism and Culture Ministries to Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy about a month ago.
Sidhu posted his resignation letter on Twitter on Sunday. It is interesting to note that the letter, which is addressed to AICC chief, was dated June 10—when he had met then Congress president Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary Priyanka Vadra and party veteran Ahmed Patel.
During the meeting, Sidhu had allegedly complained that Amarinder had singled him out as punishment for the poor show of Congress in some urban segments of Punjab in the recently-held Lok Sabha polls.
At the meeting, Sidhu had also presented his work as Local Bodies’ Minister to counter Singh’s claims.
After the meeting, Rahul Gandhi had asked Patel to intervene in the matter but Amarinder had reportedly stood his ground. He made it clear that he had the right to shuffle cabinet portfolios and had said: “power is a plum portfolio too”.
Sidhu, however, had insisted on continuing with Local Bodies.
Capt then responded by saying that Sidhu’s “non-performance” in urban segments had “cost the party dearly”. He allegedly had sent three ministers to Patel who spoke of “Sidhu’s wrongdoings”.
Sources say that Sidhu had been waiting for reconciliation since the last one month.
In his tweet, Sidhu said that will be sending his resignation to the Punjab CM—indicating that it hasn’t been sent up till now.
Procedurally, if the central leadership accepts a resignation, it is forwarded to the CM, who sends it further to the governor.
Sources close to Sidhu said that by sharing the letter, he has scored over the chief minister by preempting any move by the latter to outwit him once again.
Sidhu’s announcement comes a day after Dinesh Bassi, a known Sidhu detractor from Amritsar, was appointed as Amritsar Improvement Trust chief creating a parallel power centre in the area.
Sidhu is MLA from Amritsar East.
