Chandigarh, December 13 (H.S.): Reacting to suspended Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu’s request for security cover, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said that such issues should be addressed and resolved at the party level.
Speaking to the media in Chandigarh, Mann said people should think carefully before making public statements. He remarked that some individuals first criticise others and later approach the government claiming threats to their lives. He added that there is an appropriate way to deal with such matters and that coordination within the party is essential. Mann said when people speak irresponsibly, they project themselves as right and everyone else as wrong.
Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of former Punjab Congress president and ex-India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu, had earlier questioned the chief minister’s “silence” over issues she raised with Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria. She accused the state government of facilitating liquor and mining mafias. Following her remark allegedly suggesting a price tag of Rs 500 crore for the chief minister’s chair, the Punjab Congress suspended her from its primary membership.
The chief minister further said Congress leaders should introspect and resolve their internal issues instead of blaming the state government. He questioned how those who could allegedly put a price on a constitutional position could be trusted to raise genuine public issues, adding that people with questionable intentions have no moral right to lecture others on honesty.
In a post on X on Friday night, Navjot Kaur Sidhu said she now required security and held the chief minister responsible for her safety. She also questioned why there had been no response from him regarding the issues she raised before the Punjab Governor and alleged facilitation of liquor and mining mafias.
Along with the post, she shared a copy of a memorandum submitted to the governor, alleging a land scam under the Bhagwant Mann government. She claimed that influential people had allegedly grabbed land around protected forest areas near the Shivalik hills and that the government was attempting to regularise these holdings.
During her meeting with the governor, Kaur also alleged that the law and order situation in Punjab was deteriorating. She further targeted former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, who had described Navjot Singh Sidhu and Navjot Kaur Sidhu as “unstable” in an interview. Amarinder Singh had accused her of lying and suggested the Congress should remove her from the party, remarking that Navjot Sidhu should focus on cricket commentary rather than politics.
Responding on X, Navjot Kaur Sidhu said Amarinder Singh had many unanswered questions and alleged that files important for Punjab’s growth were not cleared during his tenure. She listed several projects, including mining and liquor policies, tourism initiatives, infrastructure projects and sports development plans, questioning why they were stalled.
Amarinder Singh had resigned as Punjab chief minister in September 2021 following internal party strife. He later quit the Congress, formed a new political outfit and merged it with the BJP in 2022.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
