AAP asks CM to resign, SAD dares Capt to sack minister
CHANDIGARH:A day ahead of polling in Punjab, a controversy erupted over remarks of Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu who exhorted people in Bathinda to defeat those “who are playing a friendly match”, in apparent reference to chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
On Friday, Sidhu said at a rally in Bathinda: “Those having a share of 75:25 run; run Badal run .... here comes Sidhu, vacate the chair.” In a veiled reference to Amarinder’s remark that he would resign if the Congress is “wiped out” in the election, he said: “Someone would resign if the party didn’t win election, but I say I would resign if the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib is not avenged.”
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday demanded the CM’S resignation on moral grounds saying the allegations have been levelled by none other than a senior cabinet minister, who has vindicated their party’s stand. “Sidhu had put his stamp on the raging allegations of Badal-captain bonhomie that the AAP had been levelling since Captain assumed power . Had there been no friendly match between the two political clans, umpteen cases of corruption against the Badals would not have been shelved nor would Captain have received a clean chin in the Amritsar and Ludhiana City Centre scams,” Punjab AAP chief Bhagwant Mann said.
But Shiromani Akal Dal (SAD) dared Amarinder to dismiss his cabinet colleague or quit over his “failure to tame Sidhu”.
“The minister has struck a discordant note openly on policies and functioning of the state government. In parliamentary democracy, the council of ministers own up responsibility of government actions and speak in one voice. They swim and sink together and dissenters should be shown the door,” former Punjab minister and senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia said in a statement.
‘CONG FUNDING SARKARI BABAS TO DISTURB PEACE’
In Amritsar, Majithia said the Congress was conspiring with anti-punjab and anti-sikh forces, including ‘sarkari babas’, Aam Aadmi Party, Punjab Ekta Party (PEP) and “so-called” Taksalis to disturb peace and communal harmony in the state with funds being released from 10, Janpath Delhi for the same. He urged Punjabis to be vigilant about the nefarious designs of these forces.