Amarinder Dubs Sidhu 'National Security Risk', Won't Back Him for Punjab CM

"Navjot Singh Sidhu is an incompetent man, he is going to be a disaster," Amarinder Singh said.

After tendering his resignation ahead of the 2022 state assembly polls, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh on Saturday, 18 September, said that he would never accept Navjot Singh Sidhu as the Chief Minister and called him a 'disaster'.

(Photo altered by The Quint)

After tendering his resignation ahead of the 2022 state assembly polls, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh on Saturday, 18 September, said that he would never accept Navjot Singh Sidhu as the Chief Minister and called him a 'disaster'.

In an interview to ANI, the ex-chief minister said:

"Navjot Singh Sidhu is an incompetent man, he is going to be a disaster. I will oppose his name for the next CM face."

Amarinder Singh then went on to allege that Sidhu has "a connection with Pakistan" and that "it will be a threat to national security".

He also told News18:

"I will never accept Navjot Singh Sidhu as CM. He is a total disaster. Ek Ministry to chala nahi saka, pura state chalayega (He couldn't run a ministry, how will he run Punjab)? I know that he has no capability."

What Else Did Amarinder Singh Say?

Stating that he will oppose Sidhu's name for CM of Punjab "for the sake of my country", Singh claimed, "It's a matter of national security."

"He is friends with (Pakistan Army chief) Qamar Javed Bajwa and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, I will oppose if he is chosen as the next CM face."

Amarinder also told ANI that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi said, "I am sorry Amarinder", after he discussed his resignation with her on the phone on Saturday morning.

On being asked by ANI about his future plans and whether he is in talks with BJP, Singh said: "No talks with anyone, just submitted my resignation to Governor today."

'Navjot Sidhu Not a Traitor': Md Mustafa, Adviser to Sidhu

Mohammad Mustafa, Sidhu's principal strategic adviser, defended the Punjab Congress chief on Sunday and said that Sidhu was not a traitor.

"Navjot Sidhu is not a traitor. If after now Captain Amarinder Singh calls Sidhu a traitor, then I will open the whole book. Captain's target is not Sidhu but the Gandhi family. I'll not allow Captain to target Gandhi family," Mustafa told news agency ANI.

Background

The Punjab Congress infighting had intensified with Sidhu censuring CM Amarinder Singh in May, alleging that his associated were being harassed for raising questions on the state government’s handling of the ‘sacrilege’ case and for speaking the truth on the matter.

The CM's resignation on Saturday also came amid calls for leadership change within Punjab Congress.

Addressing the media at the Raj Bhavan after tendering his resignation, Singh said that he had conveyed to party president Sonia Gandhi that he felt humiliated.

(With inputs from ANI and News18)