Believing that he commands respect in the opposition too, Congress' 'defiant' leader and former Cabinet minister Navjot Sidhu on Tuesday said Punjab's opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has always recognised his "vision and work" for Punjab, raising speculation that he may join Arvind Kejriwal's party.
"Our opposition AAP has always recognised my vision and work for Punjab. Be it before 2017 -- 'Beadbi' (sacrilege), drugs, farmers' issues, corruption and power crisis faced by people of Punjab raised by me or today as I present 'Punjab Model' it is clear they know who is really fighting for Punjab," Sidhu said in a tweet.
Tagging an old video clip of AAP leader Sanjay Singh praising him for 'taking the bold step' of quitting the BJP in 2017 and for raising his voice against the Akali Dal and the Badal family that leads it, Sidhu in another tweet said: "If the opposition dares to question me, yet they can't escape my pro-people agenda...This means they have resigned to their fate."
Sidhu's tweets come amid his feud with Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. However, Sidhu had earlier clarified that he has no plans to join AAP.
Earlier toeing AAP's national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's 'mantra' to woo people in Punjab by announcing pre-poll sops of free and subsidised electricity to all, Sidhu had favoured 24-hour supply with no power cuts in the state and free power up to 300 units.
Speculation in political circles is rife that Sidhu may join the AAP ahead of the 2022 Assembly election.
Ahead of the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections, Sidhu had resigned from the Rajya Sabha and said, "At the behest of the Prime Minister, I had accepted RS nomination for the welfare of Punjab. With the closure of every window leading to Punjab, the purpose stands defeated, now a mere burden. I prefer not to carry it."
One in every seven Indians is an alcohol consumer, making alcohol the most used addictive substance in the country followed by cannabis, opioids, sedatives and inhalants.
The complainant also charged of receiving veiled innuendos and threats from various other satsangis about listening to the demands of Gurinder Singh Dhilion.
Before the start of the Punjab Budget session, Akali leaders led by Bikram Singh Majithia burnt the photographs of Mr Sidhu including those in which he is seen hugging the Pakistan Army chief, outside the House.
A man's nose was chopped off allegedly by the family of his lover in Gujarat's Amreli district, leading to the arrest of five persons, police said Monday.
"He (Masood Azhar) was an easy man to handle and a slap from an Army officer had shaken him completely," said Avinash Mohananey, former director general of Sikkim Police, who interrogated Masood Azhar many times in 1990s
