Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu's adviser Malwinder Singh Mali resigned on Friday, 27 August, amid the controversy over his remarks on Jammu and Kashmir and the attacks on Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and other party leaders.
The controversy erupted after Mali and Pyare Lal Garg's comments on social media saying that both India and Pakistan were illegal occupants of Jammu and Kashmir. The row flared up after Mali's cryptic post from the past against former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi resurfaced.
Mali and Garg were appointed advisers to Sidhu on 11 August.
What Mali Said in his Resignation Letter
In his resignation letter, Mali alleged that there was a campaign being run against him by CM Singh along with Congress leaders Vijay Inder Singla and Manish Tiwari, Sukhbir Badal and Bikram Majithia of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and Subhash Sharma and Raghav Chadda of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
According to The Tribune, Mali said, "Anti-Sikh forces that can't tolerate the emerging Punjab model and solution-based transparent politics in the backdrop of the farmers' protests have a nefarious design to derail the dialogue process. He further alleged that there is a plot to push him into the struggle with tied hands."
"I humbly withdraw my consent given for tendering suggestions to Navjot Singh Sidhu," Mali said, as quoted by The Tribune.
He further said that he had struggled for the welfare of Punjab and would continue to do so while upholding democratic values.
Punjab Congress Crisis Contiinues
After many of CM Singh's supporters demanded action over Mali's comments on J&K and Indira Gandhi, he launched another attack in a Facebook post and referred to Singh as 'Alibaba' and party leader Tewari as a 'bhagoda'. Mali also accused state minister Singla of "looting" the PWD.
In an official statement earlier, CM Singh had slammed Mali and called them "atrocious and ill-conceived comments that were potentially dangerous to the peace and stability of the state and the country".
He also advised Sidhu to 'rein' his advisers and not speak on issues they had 'little or no knowledge of'.
The controversy erupted at a time when many believed that the rift in Punjab Congress had been mended after the appointment of Sidhu as the state's party chief.
The state's All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge Harish Rawat on 25 August said that the party will contest the 2022 Assembly elections under Singh's leadership.
However, amid reports of renewed calls of 'removal' of Singh as the chief minister, four ministers and three MLAs are said to have met Rawat to express their concerns about the party's chances of winning the elections.
(With inputs from The Tribune.)
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