Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday took a swipe at Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Navjot Singh Sidhu, saying both aspire for top positions but are first asked by people to do something first.
Talking to mediapersons here, Mann said Sidhu, during his tenure as a minister in the previous Congress government in Punjab, could have worked for people’s welfare by taking responsibility for his departments.
Mann said Rahul Gandhi and Navjot Sidhu share a common problem. “Rahul Gandhi says 'make me prime minister, I will do something for the people'. But people ask him, first do something, then we will make you the prime minister,” he said.
“It is the same with Navjot Sidhu. He says 'make me the CM, I will do something for Punjab'. People ask him to do something for Punjab, then they will make him the chief minister,” Mann said, taking a jibe at both leaders.
A few days back, Sidhu’s wife, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, had said that her husband would return to active politics if the Congress declares him as its chief ministerial face in Punjab. She had also said that while they do not have money to give to any party, they can transform Punjab into a “golden state”.
Her remark about “Rs 500 crore for the chief minister’s chair” triggered a political controversy, following which she was suspended by the Punjab Congress.
Former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has stayed away from party events and activities for several months. He also did not campaign during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
When asked about the Sidhu couple’s claim of honesty, Mann said he was not the one to issue certificates of honesty. However, he added that he had not received any document suggesting corruption by them. “Otherwise, I would have made it public by now,” he said.
Mann said that when Sidhu was the urban development minister in the previous Congress government, he could have addressed issues such as cleanliness, sewerage, street lighting and road conditions in cities.
He said Sidhu was later given the power department, which was an important portfolio. “We have made electricity free. Sidhu should have taken responsibility and announced 600 units of free power,” Mann said.
"Had Amarinder Singh (the then chief minister) refused it, then he (Sidhu) could have told people that he wanted to give free power, but Amarinder refused. He would have been a hero, and if Amarinder accepted it, even then he would have been a hero. It was a win-win situation," said Mann.
Mann further said that former chief minister Amarinder Singh had earlier claimed that Sidhu did not sign files of his department for six months. “Sidhu did not take responsibility for his ministry. He did not sign even a single file,” Mann alleged.
In 2019, Sidhu resigned from the Amarinder Singh cabinet. Amarinder had taken away his Local Government and Tourism and Cultural Affairs departments and assigned him the power and new and renewable energy portfolio. However, Sidhu did not take charge of the power department.
On Navjot Kaur Sidhu seeking security cover, Mann took a dig at her, saying she should have thought before making such statements. “First abuse people and then come to me for security,” he said.
Mann also said that the Sidhu couple should have sought time to meet Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi earlier instead of doing so now.
Responding to a question on the Union home ministry barring physical custody of gangster Anmol Bishnoi for one year, Mann said Punjab Police wanted to bring him to the state for questioning in a case. "But now the home ministry has said that one cannot take his physical custody like in the case of Lawrence Bishnoi. If need arises, we will go to Tihar jail," said Mann.
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