Punjab woman minister resigns in 'solidarity' with Sidhu
Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Sep, 2021 11:09 AM
Chandigarh, Sep 28 (IANS) Punjab Minister Razia Sultana resigned from the Cabinet on Tuesday to express "solidarity" with Navjot Singh Sidhu, who resigned as state Congress chief.
In her resignation, she said she was quitting "in solidarity with Navjot Singh Sidhu".
Her resignation came hours after she was given water supply and sanitation, social security, women and child development, printing, and stationery departments in the new Cabinet led by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
Her husband, Mohammed Mustafa, a former Director General of Police, was appointed Sidhu's chief strategic adviser when the latter took over as Punjab Congress chief in July.
Calling the reports of alleged snooping on prominent citizens using Israeli Pegasus spyware as "baseless", the ruling BJP on Monday said there is not a single shred of evidence so far that links either the central government or the party to this controversy.
Congress MPs from both Houses had met on Sunday afternoon at Rajya Sabha member Pratap Singh Bajwa's residence to discuss the issues related to Punjab and sought an appointment with Gandhi.
Apart from reviewing the security arrangements in the national capital, the Delhi Police have also strengthened the security in and around the Red Fort ahead of the Independence Day.
Police said acting on a specific information, Budgam Police along with the Army's 53 RR and 43 BN of the CRPF arrested one local terrorist linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT and recovered incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one Chinese pistol, one magazine, eight live pistol rounds from his possession.
As the Pegasus spyware scandal unravelled within and outside Parliament, he termed it a "shocking assault" on India's democratic polity by the Union government, which had compromised the national security with "this blatantly disgraceful act".
The shocking incident happened on Sunday when the lawyer, Satyadev Joshi and his associate Ankit Tandon had gone to survey a land for a client in Dahisar suburb.
