Senior BJP leader and nominated Rajya Sabha Member Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned from the Upper House on Monday, merely three months after his nomination. This is being Considered as a serious jolt to the Punjab wing of BJP. It is being said that the cricketer-turned-politician was unhappy with the BJP leadership since General Elections 2014 as he had to make way for Arun Jaitley to contest from Amritsar.
Speculations raged that the 52-year old former MP did so to become the face of AAP in the coming elections in Punjab. This argument was powered by a series of tweets from various AAP leader like Sanjay Singh. Even Arvind Kejriwal tweeted and saluted Sidhu for his brave act.
“At the behest of the honorable PM, I had accepted the Rajya Sabha nomination for the welfare of Punjab. With the closure of every window leading to Punjab the purpose stands defeated. It is now a mere burden. I prefer not to carry it. In the war of right or wrong, you can't afford to be neutral rather than being self-centered. Punjab's interest is paramount," said the former Amritsar MP. It is being claimed that his wife, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, will soon resign and join AAP. Both Sidhu and his wife share a very estranged relation with Akali Dal leadership on governance issues and have publicly criticized them on numerous occasions.
When asked if Sidhu would be joining AAP, Punjab in-charge of the party Sanjay Singh said: “When the time is right a formal announcement will be made. I think to make a better Punjab, Navjot Singh ji has taken this step. This will save Punjab”. AAP MP Bhagwant Mann said that his Party would welcome Sidhu with “open arms” if he decides to join it. “As party’s campaign committee chairman, I want to say that our doors are open. Sidhu is a good orator with a clean image, who has also remained a star campaigner of his party. May be now, he finds that he does not enjoy that much freedom to express himself,” said Mann.
The resignation has come at a very critical time and it remains to be seen if it will have any repercussions for BJP in the assembly elections in Punjab.