Awaaz-e-Punjab: Navjot Sidhu to meet media on September 8

Amritsar:Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu will speak to media on September 8 to share his future course of action, the former Rajya Sabha MP’s wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu today said.

She was speaking after posters showing a photograph of her husband, former hockey player and Olympian Pargat Singh, and MLA Bains brothers – Balwinder Bains and Simarjit Bains – appeared.

She said she shared the poster on her Facebook account but said did not know anything beyond that.

Asked whether she has talked to her husband about the poster, Kaur said, she tried to contact him. “But his PA told me that he was travelling in a plane,” she said.

Describing people in poster as “honest and upright”, Kaur said, “Such persons can do better for the welfare of Punjab and its people and more people like them needed for this task.”

Former BJP leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who quit his Rajya Sabha seat recently, is all set to float his own political outfit ‘Awaaz-e-Punjab’ along with Pargat Singh and the Bains brothers.

Kaur, however said she has not resigned from BJP, and will complete her term as MLA with the party.

At the end of the term, she said, will decide her future course of action.

She said that resignation at this point of time would mean that her ongoing developmental work in her constituency would stop forthwith, which she does not want.

She reiterated that if BJP continued alliance with SAD in the upcoming assembly elections, she would not contest on BJP ticket.

Awaaz-e-Punjab pack of “opportunist leaders”: Badal

Muktsar (Punjab):Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today described ‘Awaaz-e-Punjab’ as “a pack of disgruntled and opportunist political leaders” and “without any ideological commitment”, and claimed it will hardly have any impact on the state politics.

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Indian hockey captain and Olympian Pargat Singh along with two Ludhiana MLA brothers’ Balwinder Bains and Simrajit Singh Bains have decided to float their own political outfit ‘Awaaz-e-Punjab’ “aimed to save Punja”.

“Rather than being another front in political arena this will hardly have any impact on state polity,” Badal said.

Addressing the people during Sangat Darshan programme in Lambi assembly segment here today, he said the people have time and again reposed faith in “pro-people and development oriented policies of SAD-BJP alliance committed for giving fillip to overall development of the state”.

Badal clamied while the front was a brainchild of “fugitive” leaders who want to “satiate their lust for power”, the SAD-BJP alliance has been “dedicatedly serving the people since last many decades”.

Taking a jibe on ‘Awaaz-e-Punjab’, he said many more such “mushrooms would crop up” in the state in the forthcoming poll season but people would extend their support only to the alliance. .

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal today said the formation of a new front in Punjab “symbolises utter confusion in the Opposition ranks” because of the “success of SAD’s constructive three-fold agenda of development, social welfare and governance”.

“If anything, the formation of the new front is a rebuff to those like Captain Amaridner Singh and AAP who were bending over backwards to beg support of political castaways. It is also one more example of how the entire Opposition in Punjab is nothing more than a conglomerate of disparate elements brought together by nothing more than pre-election opportunism,” General Secretary and spokesperson, SAD, Harcharan Singh Bains said in a statement here.

“The SAD is completely unconcerned about the goings’ on in the Opposition ranks. It will go to the people with its three-fold agenda being articulated and implemented by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal,” he said.

“The integrated vision of grass-root development and social welfare on the one hand and futuristic economic and infrastructure model has decisively put Punjab on a trajectory of modernistic development which the other states have not even started to think about yet,” he added.

AAP taken aback by Sidhu’s move to float political outfit

New Delhi:The AAP was today taken aback by Navjot Singh Sidhu’s decision to float a political outfit in poll-bound Punjab after weeks of speculation that he might join the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit.

Former BJP leader Sidhu, who quit his Rajya Sabha seat last month, was being wooed by the AAP, but both the sides could not reach an agreement.

The news of Sidhu forming a political front comes at a time when the party is facing the prospect of a vertical split after its state convenor Sucha Singh Chhotepur was sacked over allegations of bribery.

“We have learnt that Sidhu has formed a political front.

It is up to him to comment whether they will launch a party or not,” AAP’s Punjab state in-charge Sanjay Singh said.

Himmat Singh Shergill, an AAP leader in Punjab, said forming a political outfit is a personal decision of Sidhu.

Asked whether it would hurt AAP’s prospects in next year’s Assembly election, Shergill said, “The Aam Aadmi Party is based on an ideology and not on an individual. People are with us.”

The cricketer-turned-politician is all set to float his own political outfit “Awaaz-e-Punjab” after joining hands with some ousted Akali legislators.

Last month, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had sought to scotch “rumours” on Sidhu’s possible induction into AAP, saying the cricketer-turned-politician has not put any pre-condition and just needs “time to think”.

Kejriwal said his respect for Sidhu, who met him on August 12 at his residence, would continue irrespective of whether “he joins (AAP) or not”.

Earlier, the AAP chief had said that talks of Sidhu becoming the party’s face in Punjab were “premature”.

“Wud Navjot Sidhu ji join AAP- lot of rumours? Its my duty to put forward our side. We have greatest greatest regard for this ckt legend. He met me last week.

“Didn’t put any pre-condition. He needs time to think.

Lets respect that. He is a v gud human being n a ckt legend.

My respect for him wud continue whether he joins or not (sic),” Kejriwal had said in a series of tweets.