Sidhu's adviser resigns; Punjab Cong prez says he can't be dummy chief
Darpan News Desk IANS, 27 Aug, 2021 11:06 AM
Chandigarh, Aug 27 (IANS) Punjab Congress President Navjot Sidhu's controversial adviser Malwinder Mali resigned on Friday, a day after AICC general secretary Harish Rawat asked for the advisers' resignations saying their stands were unacceptable to the Congress.
Interestingly, the resignation comes in the wake of Sidhu telling the party High Command that, "I can't be dummy chief".
Reacting to Sidhu's assertion, Rawat said, "Who says he is."
Speaking at a party function in Amritsar city, Sidhu said "if he is allowed to work according to his own policy of hope and faith, he will ensure Congress rule in the state for 20 years".
"But if you don't allow me to take decisions, then I can't help anything," Sidhu said without mincing words.
Speaking about the Punjab model Sidhu said, "Punjab model means people make policies for trade, industry and power. Giving power of people back to the people."
The power struggle between Sidhu and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is on as the latter's confidante and Cabinet minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi hosted a dinner at his residence here on Thursday.
A total of 58 MLAs and eight MPs attended the dinner and expressed their confidence that the party would win the 2022 polls under the leadership of Amarinder Singh.
"The journey has started today," Sodhi informed in a tweet.
Meanwhile, Sidhu's advisor Mali in a statement after his resignation said, "Anti-Sikh forces that can't tolerate the emerging Punjab model, issue-based and solution-based politics of transparency and accountability, which has dawned in the backdrop of the long-drawn peaceful 'kisan andolan', have a nefarious design to derail the dialogue process that has started taking shape."
He alleged a hateful campaign had been launched against him by political leaders -- Amarinder Singh, Vijay Inder Singla, Manish Tiwari (Congress); Sukhbir Badal, Bikram Majithia (Akali Dal); BJP secretary Subhash Sharma and Raghav Chadda of the AAP.
Mali said these politicians would be responsible if any harm comes to him.
Mali had triggered a controversy over his provocative social media post on Kashmir.
Taking strong exception to the patently anti-national and pro-Pak comments of two of Sidhu's aides, a group of Punjab Congress ministers and MLA had called for strong action under the law against Mali and Pyare Lal Garg.
The statements of both these newly appointed advisors of Sidhu were clearly against India's interests, and detrimental to national security, said ministers Brahm Mohindra, Vijay Inder Singla, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, along with MLA Raj Kumar Verka.
Besides stringent legal action against them, they had also urged the Congress national leadership to direct Sidhu to immediately rein in his aides in the interest of the party as well as the country.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and its Punjab counterpart will probe the death of a Dalit man, who was allegedly thrashed and forced to drink urine in a village in Sangrur district of Punjab.
For those whose annual income is less than Rs 3 lakh, the subsidy has been increased from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000. For those with annual income of more than Rs 3 lakh, the subsidy has been increased from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000.
In today's day and age, most artistes are trying hard to stay relevant. For singer Lucky Ali, who has been in the music industry for over three decades, it's all about staying "irrelevant". He says that the number of online views his songs garner don't thrill him.
On the basis of intelligence inputs, a heavy contingent of police consisting of 800 constables of local police and ten companies of Central paramilitary force was deployed at JNU while key Metro stations were shut.
Four soldiers and two civilian porters died after they were trapped in an avalanche on the Siachen Glacier's northern sector on Monday, officials said.
