Navjot Singh Sidhu stands firm; wants Advocate General Deol, DGP Sahota replaced

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 3

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has once again demanded that Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s government in Punjab rollback its decisions to appoint the state’s Advocate General APS Deol and the Director General of Police Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota—a development that comes even as the status of his resignation from the Punjab chief’s position remains unclear.

In a tweet that came two days after attempts at rapprochement with CM Channi’s state government, Sidhu said: “Demand for Justice in Sacrilege cases and for arrest of main culprits behind the drug trade brought our Govt in 2017 & Due to his failure, People removed the last CM. Now, AG/DG appointments rub salt on wounds of victims, they must be replaced or we will have No face”.

Political analysts say Sidhu’s giving clear indications that, with state Assembly elections drawing close, he’s unwilling to compromise on his stand on the issues of sacrilege and drug trade.

Sidhu resigned as Punjab Congress chief last week—a development that came two months after he took over the state unit after a prolonged power tussle with the then chief minister, Amarinder Singh. He attributed his decision to step down to some recent appointments made in the state, among them the appointment of Advocate General Amar Preet Singh Deol.

In a tweet on Saturday, Sidhu said that he would not back down from his demands and that he would stand by both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, “post or no post”.

Sidhu’s statement comes at a time when Congress leadership appears to be keen on retaining him as head of the party’s Punjab unit despite strong opposition from some quarters within the party.