Navjot Kaur Sidhu's suspension: Congress brass asks for report from Bhupesh Baghel

The Congress high command has sought a detailed report from AICC general secretary incharge for Punjab Bhupesh Baghel over the suspended party leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu’s sensational “Rs 500 crore for CM’s post” claim and her subsequent suspension.

According to Congress sources, the top party leadership was worried after Navjot levelled serious corruption allegations against senior state leaders, including Punjab unit chief Amrinder Raja Warring, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Randhawa.

Warring has been asked to deal with indiscipline “firmly” in the state unit as the infighting ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls threatens to damage the party prospects.

A source said the party was also probing the veracity of the allegations that Congress Tarn Taran bypoll candidate Karanbir Burj paid money to secure candidature.

Though Burj had denied the allegations, the source said top leadership was trying to ascertain the truth through independent sources.

“There is more than what meets the eye. Navjot has targeted one group of leaders, who are in commanding position in the state unit, at a time when rivals within the party are lobbying for the change of guard in the Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee (PPCC),” a senior leader said. Meanwhile, Navjot has claimed that she was in touch with senior party leaders.

Bid to weaken party: Warring

Meanwhile, Warring asserted the “conspiracy” aimed at weakening the Congress in Punjab would be defeated.

“The controversy has been created to divert the public attention and shift the discourse from the AAP’s brutal abuse of police force in the zila parishad and block samiti elections,” he said.

“When everyone was talking about the abuse of the police force and AAP was not having any answers, the attention was instantly diverted with sensational claims, which have no base or truth,” he said, adding that both the BJP and AAP were “masters in diverting attention”.