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.
The Punjab BJP feels that anger among the farmers in the state against the three new farm laws and its leadership is at the behest of the ruling Congress party. Recently over a dozen BJP leaders were taken hostage in Rajpura in Patiala by protesting farmers.
This is a significant development after the new Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw made it crystal clear within minutes of taking charge that "law of the land is supreme" and no one can afford to disrespect it.
Denying reports of his resignation, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's media advisor Raveen Thukral said on Thursday that the former would lead the Congress to victory in the Assembly elections scheduled early next year.
India is still witnessing the second wave which is not yet over as northeastern states and some parts of south India are still battling it, a member of the government's Covid expert panel said on Thursday.
The passage of the bill through both the houses of the parliament will be fulfilment of the demand of 12 lakh Indians who marched across 22 states and 12,000km demanding a strong law against trafficking along with Kailash Satyarthi in 2017.
