As directed by Amarinder, Sidhu not to campaign for Cong in Punjab, says wife

Amritsar, May 14

Congress star campaigner and Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu would not campaign for his party in his home state as Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had asked him not to, his wife and former BJP MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu said on Tuesday.

Amidst reports that the minister’s health was not allowing him to campaign, his wife also blamed party’s Punjab in-charge Asha Kumari for not allowing Sidhu to campaign in Punjab.

“Captain saab is the smaller captain and Rahul Gandhi is the bigger captain and he has given duty to him (Sidhu) in other states and Navjot is busy campaigning there,” she told reporters here.

“When Captain saab and Asha Kumari have taken the lead role in ensuring victory of the party in all (13) seats, then what is the need for Navjot to campaign in Punjab,” she said.

The cricketer-turned-politician on Tuesday headed to Bihar to address a rally for Shatrughan Sinha, the party’s Patna candidate.

Kaur, a former BJP legislator from Amritsar (East), also blamed the Chief Minister for denying her a ticket either from Chandigarh or Amritsar.

“I was keen to contest from Amritsar but was denied the ticket. In fact, Capt Amarinder Singh was responsible for me not getting the ticket,” she added.

Kaur was also keen to contest from Chandigarh against BJP’s sitting MP Kirron Kher.

Crowd-puller Sidhu was conspicuously absent from Gandhi’s two election rallies in Punjab on Monday.

“Continuously speaking has severely impacted his vocal cords to the extent that they bled at times,” a statement issued by Sidhu’s office said on Monday.

Sidhu was scheduled to address public meetings in Patna on Tuesday, Paonta Sahib, Bilaspur and Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday, and in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday and Friday, completing his 32-day campaign, said the statement.

Punjab goes to the polls in the final phase on May 19 for its 13 Lok Sabha seats. IANS