Sidhu not in politics for any post, says his wife
Ahead of a meeting between Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu, the former minister's wife on Wednesday said he was not after any post but only wanted to serve the people of the state. "He could have been a Union minister," Navjot Kaur Sidhu claimed, referring to his decision to quit the ruling BJP in 2016.
People are with my husband: Kaur
"My husband wants to serve Punjab and people are with him. Had he been interested in any post, he would've been somewhere else in the last one and half years. But he left Modiji," Kaur said. "We both aren't in politics for the post," she added.
Speculation is rife that Sidhu will return to Punjab cabinet
Notably, Sidhu was invited by the CM for lunch amid speculation over his return to the Punjab Cabinet. But the meeting was rescheduled for tea at 4 pm because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video conference with all CMs to discuss the fight against COVID-19. The two leaders had earlier met in November, their first interaction after Sidhu quit the Punjab cabinet in 2019.
Sidhu may be offered a key portfolio in the cabinet
The Congress central leadership has been trying to rehabilitate Sidhu who resigned as minister after he was divested of the Local Bodies portfolio in 2019. For the past several weeks, party circles are abuzz with speculation that Sidhu could be re-inducted into the state cabinet with a key portfolio. There are also talks about him being appointed as the state Congress unit president.
Relations between Sidhu and Amarinder Singh have been tense
Notably, in May 2019, CM Singh had blamed Sidhu for "inept handling" of the Local Government Department, claiming it had resulted in "poor performance" of the Congress in urban areas in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Sidhu was stripped of key portfolios in a cabinet reshuffle following which he resigned. Punjab assembly polls are due early next year.
