Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 3
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has once again demanded that Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s government in Punjab rollback on its decisions to appoint the state’s Advocate General APS Deol and the Director General of Police Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota—a development that comes even as the status of his resignation from the Punjab chief’s position remains unclear.
In a tweet that came two days after attempts at rapprochement with Channi’s state government, Sidhu said: “Demand for Justice in Sacrilege cases and for arrest of main culprits behind the drug trade brought our Govt in 2017 amp; Due to his failure, People removed the last CM. Now, AG / DG appointments rub salt on wounds of victims, they must be replaced or we will have No face”.
Political analysts say Sidhu’s giving clear indications that, with elections drawing close, he’s unwilling to compromise on his stand on the emotive issues of sacrilege and drug trade.
Sidhu, the chief of Punjab Congress, submitted his resignation to the Congress leadership last week—a development that come two months after he took over the state unit after a prolonged power tussle with the then chief minister, Amarinder Singh. He attributed his decision to step down to some recent appointments made in the state, among them the appointment of Advocate General, Amar Preet Singh Deol.
Sidhu has already made it clear, through another Twitter post on Saturday, that he will not back down from his demands but also said in the same breath that he would stand by both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, “post or no post”.
Sidhu’s statement comes at a time when Congress leadership appears to be keen on retaining him as head of the party’s Punjab unit despite strong opposition from some quarters within the party.
Demand for Justice in Sacrilege cases and for arrest of main culprits behind the drug trade brought our Govt in 2017 amp; Due to his failure, People removed the last CM. Now, AG / DG appointments rub salt on wounds of victims, they must be replaced or we will have No face !! pic.twitter.com/Bdczzv2vgz
— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) October 3, 2021
Navjot Singh Sidhu stands firm; wants AG, DGP replaced
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