‘Sidhu like my son, has joined unconditionally’
Cricketerturnedpolitician Navjot Sidhu shows bonhomie with Punjab Cong chief at first joint press conference after the former joined the party
AMRITSAR: Coming together for the first time after cricketerturned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu joined the Congress, party’s Punjab president Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday said Sidhu had joined the party without any pre-conditions.
Sidhu, who maintained a low key throughout the press conference, showed respect to Captain with a bow and when asked to say something about Amarinder, he said: “Son is a son and father is a father.”
Capt Amarinder Singh made it clear that party promised nothing to Sidhu, saying, “Sidhu is like my son and I am very happy to have him in the party. Sidhu was not offered anything and he has come unconditionally. I will be in Lambi and see the Badals, he will look after Amritsar.” Amarinder said he had known Sidhu’s family from the days when he (Sidhu) was a child and his joining the party was great.
On a question whether he was the ‘Captain of Sidhu’, Amarinder said, “I am his wicketkeeper.” When Capt Amarinder was asked what if Sidhu was made the chief Minister by the party high command, Sidhu intervened to answer, saying, “If my aunty were a man, she would be uncle.”
Amarinder said Sidhu will be the star campaigner of the party. “In Lambi I will give a bigger thrashing to the opponents,” Sidhu said.
Amarinder later tweeted a photo of the two together: “Addressing our first press conference together. @sherryontopp (Sidhu) is like my son, and I’m glad we’re together in our #BattleForPunjab.”
WILL REINVESTIGATE DRUGS CASE: CAPT
Captain Amarinder said if elected to form the government, he would get reinvestigated the drugs case in which revenue minister and senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia’s name had cropped up and throw behind bars all those found guilty.
On AAP allegation of being soft towards chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, Amarinder said he was fighting from Lambi to defeat Badal Senior. “Does the media want me to physically thrash Badal?” he said.
With the party’s nine candidates from the region by his side, Captain Amarinder also exuded confidence that his party will win all the seats in Majha.
Claiming that the state was in ruins under the Badal rule, Captain Amarinder said he needed a clear two-third majority to make a difference to bring Punjab back on the path to progress.
To another question, Amarinder said murmurs of dissent in the Congress triggered by the ticket allocation will be doused soon.