In a major jolt to the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of assembly elections in Punjab, cricketer-turned politician Navjot Singh Sidhu yesterday resigned from the Rajya Sabha, sparking off speculation that he may walk across to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
There were also rumours that Sidhu’s wife Navjot Kaur would resign as a member of the Punjab state assembly.
Sidhu in a statement indicated his discontent with the BJP, of which he was thrice an elected member of the Lok Sabha and currently a nominated member of the upper housed, saying “in the war of right or wrong, you can’t afford to be neutral.”
Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha P J Kurien said Sidhu’s resignation has been accepted.
Earlier in the day, Gurdeep Singh Sappal, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Vice President Hamid Ansari tweeted, “Navjot Singh Sidhu, nominated member, resigns from Rajya Sabha.”
The resignation came as a big surprise to the BJP which shares power with the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab. The state will hold elections early next year when the five-year term of its assembly ends. Though there is heightened speculation of Sidhu joining the AAP, he has not yet resigned from the BJP.
“I am also watching television reports saying that after resigning from the BJP, Sidhu is all set to join the AAP. But he has not yet resigned from the party,” BJP leader Mahendra Pandey said.
Soon after resigning from the upper house, Sidhu hit out at the BJP, saying the party despite nominating him to the Rajya Sabha had closed his doors in Punjab.
“I had accepted the Rajya Sabha nomination for the welfare of Punjab. With the closure of every window leading to Punjab, the purpose stands defeated, now a mere burden. I prefer not to carry it,” he said in the statement.
“In the war of right or wrong, you can’t afford to be neutral rather than being self-centred. Punjab’s interest is paramount,” he added.
Sidhu said he had accepted the Rajya Sabha nomination on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to reports, Sidhu is likely to be the AAP’s chief ministerial candidate for Punjab.
Confirming Sidhu’s move to join the party, AAP’s Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur tweeted, “Appreciate Navjot Sidhu and Navjot Kaur Sidhu move, looking forward for their Welcome to @AAPPunjab2017 @AamAadmiParty.”
AAP leaders in Delhi have not ruled out Sidhu and his wife joining the party. AAP leader Sanjay Singh, who is in charge of the party’s strategy for the Punjab assembly elections, said good forces should join hands in Punjab to oppose the land and drug mafia.
“Sidhu is indeed a big force as he played a vital role in the politics of Punjab and also brought laurels to the nation in cricket. He always raised the matters of Punjab credibly at the national and state level, and he and his wife continuously raised their voice against the corruption of the Akalis and the drug menace there,” he told a news channel.