Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday, 9 May, met Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was not arrogant but "very receptive," unlike the former chief ministers.
Mann and Sidhu met for nearly an hour, following which Sidhu tweeted "Most constructive 50 minutes spent… Reiterated the pro Punjab agenda that I have stood for years… Talked about means to generate income, it’s the only solution to end Punjab’s problem... CM Bhagwant Mann was very receptive… Assured that he will deliver on people’s aspirations…(sic)."
"I came here for Punjab's progress. The CM has no ego and no arrogance. He is the same today as he was 10-15 years ago and even six months back," Sidhu told reporters, adding that the meeting was "very positive."
The two leaders talked about Punjab's economy, the state's income from the liquor and sand mining sectors, and issues of law and order among other things.
The cricketer-turned-politician urged Mann to end the contract system backed by politicians in the sand mining sector and fix the rate of sand. “I see one thing that time will be up for Punjab’s traitors, be it sand mining. I told him the voice of my soul,” he was quoted as saying.
Sidhu, whose previous party saw a defeat in the Punjab Assembly elections held earlier this year, lost from the Amritsar East constituency. He was further asked to resign from the post of the president of the Punjab Congress after the polls.
The Congress leader had recently called CM Mann a "rubber doll”, reiterating the Opposition’s charge that the state government is being run by the AAP leadership from Delhi. A day later, Sidhu had called the chief minister an “honest man" and said that he considered him his younger brother.
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