Sidhu’s Tamil Nadu remarks spark row; BJP says he should join Pak Cabinet

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 14

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on Sunday took a dig at Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, saying he should get himself inducted in Pakistan’s Cabinet as he repeatedly exudes his love for the country.

Quoting media reports according to which Sidhu at a literature festival in Kasauli recently said he can relate to Pakistan more than South India, Patra said this is the “conspiracy” of the Congress government to divide the nation of the lines of north and south parts of the country.

“The kind of love he (Sidhu) exudes for Pakistan, the only advice which we can give is Sidhu please proceed to become a part of Imran Khan’s Cabinet,” Patra told reporters.

“Repeatedly engaging with Pakistan shows a conspiracy. It depicts his mentality to divide north and south India and that is a strategy being followed by the whole of Congress,” he added.

Meanwhile, BJP leader GVL Narsimha Rao asked Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to apologise for Punjab minister Sidhu’s most recent remarks on South Indians and asked the leader to sack him.

“The whole of India cheered for Sidhu as a cricketer , not as a Pakistan stooge. Doesn’t Congress believe in unity in diversity?” Rao said.

Sidhu sparked controversy recently when he said he related better to Pakistan’s culture than he did with Tamil Nadu.

He said at the Kasauli Lit Fest: “When I go to Tamil Nadu, I don’t understand the language. There are just one or two words I understand. Not that I don’t like the food, but I cannot have it for a long time. The culture is totally different. But if I go to Pakistan, they speak Punjabi and English and I can relate to them more.” — With PTI