Captain Amarinder Singh, the president of Punjab unit of Congress, today asserted that no “deal” has been struck with the cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu who joined the party on Monday.
He also clarified that the decision on the party’s chief ministerial face for the Punjab assembly polls will be taken by the Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
“There is no deal with Navjot Sidhu, Congress doesn’t do deals with anybody,” Amarinder told media persons in Patiala when asked if Sidhu would be offered an important post if the party wins the assembly polls.
“He has never said anything like that (there has been no talk in this regard with Sidhu),” he added.
When asked if he would be the CM candidate, Amarinder said, “I don’t know, that is Congress President’s decision.”
“The entire campaign is being handled by me and then you are asking me this question,” he added in a lighter vein.
Amarinder also said the former BJP MP Sidhu had himself stated that he was a “born Congressman”. His father too had belonged to the party.
“I have known the family for a very long time. I have been watching Navjot Sidhu since his youth when he used to play cricket at Patiala. He has himself described his joining the Congress as his ghar wapsi,” he said.
Two days ago, Sidhu had joined the Congress after meeting party vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi. Sidhu had resigned from Rajya Sabha and then quit BJP following which his wife Navjot Kaur had joined Congress on November 28.
After his joining, Sidhu had said he was a “born Congressman” who was coming back to his roots and would be ready to work under anybody appointed by the high command and contest from whereever the party wants him to.
Amarinder also said that he would defeat Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) head and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on his home turf of Lambi in his last election. He described Lambi as his ‘karambhoomi’ from where he would “teach” the Badal family a “lesson for the savagery and atrocities” they had allegedly unleashed on the people of Punjab over the past 10 years.
“Patiala is my janambhoomi. I started my political career from here and will end it here as it is my last elections. But over there (in Lambi), I want to teach Badals a lesson because they have destroyed Punjab. I want to defeat Badal,” he said.
Amarinder also challenged Delhi CM and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal to come to Lambi and take on Badal.
“Kejriwal will know his position and where he stands,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
