NEW DELHI, Dec 3: Under attack by a number of cabinet colleagues in Punjab for his remarks against Chief Minister, cricketer-turned-state Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday described Capt Amarinder Singh as a “fatherly figure” but suggested there were still some differences.
“You don’t want wash dirty linen in public,” Mr Sidhu told reporters during election campaign in Rajasthan indicating that there were still some differences between two key Congress leaders in northern India.
“He (Capt Amarinder Singh) is a fatherly figure, I love him, I respect him, I will sort it out myself,” Mr Sidhu said but did not issue any clarification on his earlier comments nor tendered any apology.
At least three Rural Development Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Revenue and Rehabilitation Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Sports Minister Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi had on Sunday called for Mr Sidhu’s resignation from the state Cabinet for ‘insulting’ the Chief Minister.
The row in Punjab Congress escalated after Mr Sidhu had said at a press conference in Hyderabad. “My captain is Rahul Gandhi. He has sent me everywhere. Our captain’s captain is Rahul Gandhi.”
Earlier, Capt Amarinder Singh told TV channels that in view of continuous killings of Indian soldiers by Pakistani forces and terrorists supported by Pakistan, Mr Sidhu should have given Kartarpur function in Pakistan on November 28 a miss.
Meanwhile, Punjab cabinet is expected to meet in Chandigarh in the afternoon but apparently in view of election campaign in Rajasthan, Mr Sidhu is likely to stay away from it.
Mr Sidhu has been one of the star campaigners for the Congress party in the elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. (UNI)
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