Navjot Singh Sidhu is busy gracing India’s top comedy talk show with humor, but now with barely a year left for the assembly elections in his home state Punjab, his political moves seem to be taking a serious turn. The Congress has formalized his expulsion after a period of intense hostility between his wife and namesake Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu and the party leadership.
Earlier his fight was mostly with state unit president Amarinder Singh Raja Warringah.
At the moment of her apparent departure, Navjot Kaur again deployed a familiar satire on the party’s top national leader, Rahul Gandhi. He called him “Pappu” – mostly a BJP coining meant to convey that he is not smart enough.
This comes just weeks after her husband Navjot Singh Sidhu described Rahul and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as “mentors” and “mentors”.guiding angel“.
CM’s chair and ₹500 crore claim
Meanwhile, Navjot Kaur had said that her husband, who is mostly absent from party activities for at least two years, would return to state politics only if the Congress Presents him as its CM face.
He had claimed that only those who have the CM’s chair in Punjab can get ₹500 crores. He said, “We always speak for Punjab and Punjabiyat…but we do not act.” ₹Rs 500 crore that we can give to sit on the chief minister’s chair,” he had said, speaking in Punjabi.
She later said she was referring to corruption in politics in general did not mean Congress’s CM candidature is for sale.
Now he has accused that party Tickets are for sale, And challenged Rahul for a TV debate.
For the ambitious couple – Navjot Kaur has been representing both of them recently – this is in line with the allegations made by their former party BJP about the Congress and Rahul. But are former cricketers and doctor-turned-politicians moving towards BJP? There is no immediate answer to that question, at least not on record from him or the BJP leaders. Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party is also in this mix.
Fight with Waring, then anger at Rahul
Congress’ Punjab affairs in-charge Bhupesh Baghel on Friday formally announced the expulsion of Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu. While he was suspended and later announced his resignation from the primary membership of the party about a week ago, the party formalized his exit citing his recent conduct and statements.
The expulsion was confirmed during a media address at the residence of former MLA Rajkumar Verka, where Baghel was also joined by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Raja Waring.
Navjot Singh Sidhu, at least technically, remains a member of the Congress party.
After this Navjot Kaur launched a scathing attack. Multi-post offensive on XHe directly targeted Rahul Gandhi and raised questions on his leadership and maturity.
He said he was “detached from ground realities” and trapped in a “self-made paradise”. He further said that a group around Rahul Gandhi was responsible for “selling tickets” and keeping the leadership “away from the truth”.
He advised the party high command to be “more aware, mature and practical”, posting that “it takes more than six months for them to respond to emergency calls, making the loss of time inevitable.”
He then challenged Rahul Gandhi to face him in a televised debate about the party’s governance in Punjab.
A 180 degree turn on Gandhism?
His anger represents a 180-degree change for the Sidhus.
Just a few months ago, Navjot Singh Sidhu had shared a photo with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, captioning which he had expressed his deep gratitude towards her and his “brother” (‘brother’ Rahul Gandhi) for standing by him during the “tough and difficult times”.
This apparent closeness to the Gandhi family was once the cornerstone of Sidhu’s political identity within the Congress, which he often used to sideline state-level leaders like CM Captain Amarinder Singh.
Sidhu came to the Congress after walking out of the BJP ahead of the 2017 Punjab elections, forming his own front or even joining the AAP. He was a multiple-time MP from the BJP, and his wife was an MLA who also served as Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS), basically a kind of junior minister, in the SAD-BJP regime. The CPS designation was later ruled unconstitutional by the court.
Sidhu was a front-line campaigner for Modi and a prominent Sikh face for the Hindutva-centric party, but he quit the BJP alleging that it wanted to sideline him in Punjab at the behest of its major ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
The pair’s stay in the Congress was shorter than that in the BJP, but far more eventful. After the victory of Congress in 2017, the former Team India opening batsman became a minister in Amarinder Singh’s government.
Ahead of the next election battle, he co-engineered the rebellion and was seen as a possible replacement for Amarinder. but the party chose Charanjit Singh Channi in his place. After this Sidhu and the party suffered huge losses.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to power in 2022. Sidhu resigned from the post of Punjab Congress chief. Then, a ghost from the past catches hold of Siddhu. He had to serve almost a year in jail for an attack that led to the death of a man in Patiala during his days as a young cricketer.
He later returned to his throne as “Guru”. kapil sharma comedy showBut not for his boisterous political career.
The Congress is now led by a relatively young Raja Warringah. Sidhu’s wife is among those party leaders who constantly underestimated him. Navjot Kaur, in her exit note, described Waring as “the most terrible, incompetent and corrupt president we have ever seen”.
of life and deathA poster boy from Team Rahul also hit back in similar language, saying that Navjot Kaur “needs mental treatment”, noting that her “resignation” was controversial as she had already been suspended. ₹500 crore for the post of CM” comment.
after this ” ₹Navjot Singh Sidhu reportedly failed to meet Priyanka Gandhi after his wife’s comments about Rs 500 crore sparked controversy, though neither of them has confirmed such a development.
360 degree turn towards BJP, or a new path?
As far as the future is concerned, there are no mixed signals about where Sidhu wants to go next. Navjot Kaur has praised PM Modi several times in a few days. He has continuously spoken of BJP for himself as well as his spouse. “Recognized my talent”.
He has tagged the Prime Minister’s Office and Amit Shah in his ex-post.
On the day he announced his resignation from Congress, he welcomed Modi in Punjab and urged the people to welcome him with “loving hearts”.
When PM also focused on Punjab Visited Dera Sachkhand In Ballan near Jalandhar which is seen as the primary sect of the Ravidassia community of Dalits. Home Minister Amit Shah is also visiting Punjab, which is dominated by Jat Sikhs, this month to focus on farmers.
But the party still does not have any main Sikh face for the Sikh majority state.
Sidhu’s former Congress arch-rival Captain Amarinder Singh, 83, is in the BJP but is almost retired and often laments that he is not being consulted.
Sunil Jakhar, seen as a prominent Hindu face, had also left the Congress during the 2022 turmoil, reportedly unhappy at not being made the CM in place of Channi. He is now the Punjab BJP chief, trying to give the party its base in the state as the Akali Dal alliance broke down over the repealed farm laws later in 2020-21.
There is constant talk that the BJP and SAD will come together again, which could complicate matters for Sidhu, who has been aggressive against SAD leaders Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia in the past.
What did BJP’s Chugh and AAP’s Arora say?
But will BJP welcome Sidhu even if he is willing?
National General Secretary of the party, Tarun Chugh, who comes from Punjab, was asked about this. He said, “Look, who is leaving which party, it is their own matter. But the allegations she (Navjot Kaur) has made… it reveals the internal corruption of the Congress.”
Pressed about Sidhu, he said, “These days his affection is limited to Raja Warringah…Bhagwant Mann…Arvind Kejriwal,” and laughed off the possibility for now. “No application has come from their side yet!”
The state AAP leadership immediately distanced itself from rumors of Sidhu joining their camp. Punjab unit chief Aman Arora told the media, “Navjot Singh Sidhu is a ‘migratory bird’ who is only interested in his political survival. AAP is a party of disciplined workers and principled governance; there is no room here for those who prioritize celebrity-driven theatrics over the welfare of the common man.”
Navjot Kaur has claimed that no political party has contacted her. She said that she can also serve Punjab through an NGO because that is what she wants to do.
