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Why he quit BJP, Sidhu’s take

Preferring its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) apparently suggested cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu…

Why he quit BJP, Sidhu’s take

Navjot Singh Sidhu (PHOTO: Facebook)

Preferring its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) apparently suggested cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu – who has now joined the Congress – to quit Punjab politics and contest from Lok Sabha poll from Kurukshetra in Haryana and be a minister in the Centre government.
But as Sidhu was not prepared to leave the home state Punjab and Amritsar in particular for another state, he wanted his former party Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) to break is alliance with the SAD and “go
alone” in Punjab in order to escape the public anger against alleged misrule of the Parkash Singh Badal government.
“I went to each BJP leader and told them about the misdeeds of the Badals. But they said SAD is our alliance partner and we can’t break the alliance,” Sidhu said at a Press conference.

“I was then offered to contest from Kurukshetra and be a (Union) minister. But I didn’t accept it as it meant leaving guru ki nagri (guru’s city Amritsar),” he added.

The newly joined Congress leader said the rift with the Akali Dal began three years back when Badal government stopped the implementation of the eight of his projects for Amritsar which he represented in Lok Sabha at that time.
“They stopped my projects as Akali feared I will get the credit for them,” Sidhu alleged adding that he took up the matter with the BJP leadership who turned deaf ear to his concerns but suggested him to
contest from Haryana instead.
He said since the BJP continued its alliance with the SAD for February
4 Assembly polls, he took a decision   to quit the party. “I can’t stand with the dacoits (Akalis),” Sidhu said while alleging the Badal family looted the state during the past ten years.
But as the saffron party preferred its alliance with the Akalis, Sidhu first went to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) but was advised against contesting coming Punjab elections but offered the deputy chief
minister’s post.
But  Sidhu didn’t take the AAP offer, he finally went to the Congress which has now fielded him from Amritsar (east) as its candidate and also made him a star campaigner against the Badal government.

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