BJP’s Chhina slams Sidhus, seeks explanation from Cong top brass

Senior BJP leader Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina on Monday criticised the recent remarks made by former MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, in which she claimed that it takes a “Rs 500-crore suitcase” for anyone to become the party’s face for the Chief Minister’s candidature. Chhina said this stunning assertion exposes the deeply entrenched corrupt practices that, according to him, define the Congress party’s political culture.

“When a former Congress leader publicly suggests that the route to the Chief Minister’s chair is paved with cash-filled suitcases, it raises extremely serious questions about how the Congress functions and how decisions affecting millions of people are made,” Chhina stated. He added that such allegations strike at the core of India’s democratic values, which demand fairness and integrity in public life.

“The top leadership of the Congress, including Rahul Gandhi, needs to explain these allegations,” Chhina said, arguing that top-level positions in the party appear to be traded like commodities. “Punjab deserves leaders chosen on merit, integrity and public service, not those elevated through secret financial dealings,” he added.

Calling upon the Congress to respond transparently, Chhina demanded that the party “come clean” on the charges. “Silence or evasion will only deepen public suspicion. The people of Punjab deserve to know whether their political future is being decided through ‘suitcases filled with cash’ instead of a democratic process.”

Responding to Navjot Kaur Sidhu’s claim that Navjot Singh Sidhu would return to politics if the Congress declares him its chief ministerial candidate, Chhina said the statement clearly shows that the couple is focused on personal ambition rather than public welfare. He challenged both Sidhus to explain what they delivered to Amritsar during Navjot Singh Sidhu’s 10-year stint as an MP and their respective five-year terms as MLAs from the Amritsar (East) constituency.

“The couple has done nothing for the city of Amritsar and has only pursued their own interests to stay in power. They have been in public life for long but failed to deliver for the city’s development, which is still struggling for basic amenities,” Chhina added.