'Oust Sidhu' cry; 'not team man'

CHANDIGARH: After Navjot Singh Sidhu held an independent 'Jittega Punjab' rally in Bathinda district and then took a dig at the Congress colleagues who called him out, they hit back on Wednesday by calling for his expulsion for "indiscipline, incompetence, self-glorification, and working against the party's interests".

They issued a joint statement that regardless of their respect for him as former state party chief, his actions had often harmed the Punjab Congress and cost it the last assembly election. Former Zira legislator Kulbir Singh Zira said: "His indiscipline in dealing with political matters counters the party's collective efforts. This was evident when he pulled us down from 78 seats in 2017 to a mere 18 in 2022." Navjot Singh Dahiya claimed Sidhu had a history of letting workers down by not being team player. Former Amritsar South MLA Inderbir Singh Bolaria said: "Sidhu sure stood beside the party leadership when Charanjit Singh Channi was declared as chief ministerial face for 2022 elections, but he worked for self-glorification." Gurdaspur MLA Barindermeet Singh Pahra said: "He never supported party's agenda and failed as a team captain."

Punjab Youth Congress president Mohit Mohindra accused Sidhu of being vindictive. He said: "This might be the only occasion in the history of independent India when a manifesto was released just two days before the elections. All because when in a position of power, Sidhu was into settling scores than doing his job. His obsession with self-growth stunted the party." Lakhvir Singh Lakha, Davinder Singh Ghubaya, Khuhbaz Singh Jattana, and Amit Vij joined this chorus.

This isn't the first call for action against Sidhu. In May last year as well, he was accused of putting himself ahead of the party. Harish Chaudhary, party's man in charge of Punjab affairs, was forced to write to then Congress president Sonia Gandhi after state party president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring had passed him a note that "Sidhu can't be allowed to portray himself above the party."