Sidhu to visit city tomorrow

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 15

With former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu joining the Congress officially today after meeting AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, preparations are on to give him a grand welcome in the city.

District Congress president Jugal Kishore confirmed that Sidhu along with other senior party leaders, including PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh and state affairs head Asha Kumari, would reach Amritsar on January 17.

“I have received a call from Sidhu who informed me that he will land here at around 12 noon,” he said.

Jugal Kishore said Sidhu’s celebrity status and his credibility would help consolidate the party and he would be an apt vocal opposition to the SAD-BJP and AAP.

On the other hand, Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia termed the entry of Sidhu was a step in ruining the Congress.

“It was an opportunistic, self-driven-move of Sidhu. You will see Captain Amarinder losing ground further with Sidhu’s entry in the Congress, he alleged.

BJP’s contender for the Lok Sabha bypoll, Rajindermohan Singh Chhina said both Sidhu and Captain Amarinder proved to be total failure as MPs and Sidhu’s entry to the Congress would hardly yield any dividends for the party.

“As a politician, Sidhu has lost his credibility with the way he tried to struck ‘deals’, first with AAP and then with the Congress. Also as an MP, his scant attendance in the Parliament and failure to bring in any fruitful projects for Amritsar exposed him. Identical was the attitude of Captain who cheated people of Majha by not visiting even once after elected as an MP in 2014,” he said. Sidhu would contest for the Amritsar East Assembly seat, the home constituency of his wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu.

However, posters and banners have been put up in the constituency carrying Sidhu couple’s picture along with the AICC president and the vice-president.

Party sources said special arrangements were being made for arranging garlands and sweets to celebrate the occasion.

Harpal Singh Verka, district general secretary of the Congress, said the Sidhu couple would be an asset to the party.

People made Dr Sidhu won the seat from here in 2012 due to her clean and corruption-free image, irrespective of the party she represented to. We are eager to see Sidhu as our Deputy CM,” he said.

He said accompanied by senior leaders, Sidhu would be welcomed in a grand road show that would lead all to the Golden Temple to pay obeisance, before carrying on with other activities of the day. Thereafter, at least three rallies in the Majitha constituency have been planned which would be addressed by Sidhu in a span of next one week,” he said.