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.
In the Monday meet Congress state president Sunil Jakhar met the committee constituted by party president Sonia Gandhi comprising of Mallikarjun Kharge, JP Aggarwal and General Secretary In charge of the state Harish Rawat.
Located primarily in Pune, Raipur, and Mumbai - Cuddles Nutrition Centers are active in 33 hospitals across India including TATA Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, AIIMS in Delhi, amongst others.
The firefight at Sopore was the second encounter that erupted in Kashmir in less than 12 hours after an exchange of fire between between terrorists and security forces at Ganapora area of Shopian district in south Kashmir earlier on Friday.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shahdara, R. Sathiyasundaram said that Vivek Vihar police station personnel arrested the two fraudsters -- Ritik Kumar Singh, of Bihar's Ara district and Sandeep Panday, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur -- who used to make promises to provide oxygen cylinder at doorsteps, received money through digital transactions, and then, disappeared.
On the 130th day, the cumulative Covid vaccination coverage stood at 20,06,62,456 doses, including 15,71,49,593 first doses and 4,35,12,863 second doses, as per data available at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. India is the second country after the US, which took 124 days, to achieve this level.
At several places including outside the Delhi borders, the farmers burnt effigies of the Central government, hoisted black flags on their homes, farms or vehicles to condemn the farm laws and demanding their rollback as over 470 farmers' lives have been lost in the past six months.
