There seems that a new rift is emerging in Punjab, where Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu are completely following two different lines. The Congress party which is shaken in every other state by infighting seems throbbed in Punjab too where party enjoys a strong hold. Captain and Sidhu are moving on two different paths. On one side, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh asserts to stand with the nation, but on the other hand, Sidhu is busy hugging the traitors from the belligerent nation.
Just a week after the Amritsar blast, Sidhu again arrived in Pakistan to embrace Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. In the blast, hand grenades were thrown at Nirankari Satsang Bhawan in Amritsar as it claimed three lives and left 16 injured in the blast. Condemning this heinous act, Punjab CM in his tweet had said, “I appeal to the people of Punjab to maintain peace in wake of Amritsar bomb blast. I urge them not to panic and to remain calm. We will not let the forces of terror destroy our hard earned peace.”
I appeal to the people of Punjab to maintain peace in wake of Amritsar bomb blast. I urge them not to panic and to remain calm. We will not let the forces of terror destroy our hard earned peace.
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) November 18, 2018
But Sidhu do not seem to align with the thoughts of CM Amarinder Singh as he embarked on another tour to Pakistan. This is Sidhu’s second visit in four months, earlier he visited Pakistan to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Pak PM Imran Khan and this time he is on a visit to Pakistan as a guest in Kartarpur corridor inauguration.
Sidhu was at Dera Baba Nanak a day prior to the inauguration event and despite reaching a day early, he preferred to watch Gurudwara Kartarpur Saheb with telescope as he didn’t participate in the event.
Here, he again hugged General Bajwa, and on being questioned, Sidhu justified his gesture saying that it was for just ‘a second’ and it wasn’t a ‘Rafale Deal’. Also, he said, “When two Punjabis meet they hug each other, its normal practice in Punjab.”
#WATCH The hug(with Pakistan Army Chief) was for hardly a second, it was not a #RafaleDeal . When two Punjabis meet they hug each other, its normal practice in Punjab.: Navjot Sidhu in Lahore pic.twitter.com/w43CYie5GI
— ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2018
Sidhu did not stop here and went a step ahead and called Imran Khan a ‘farishta’ (an angel) for opening the Kartarpur corridor. This statement came just after Amarinder Singh exposed Pakistan’s hypocrisy by saying that Pakistan on one side is trying to kill our people and on the other side trying to portray themselves as messengers of peace by opening the Kartarpur corridor.
Captain also kept himself away from the whole function at Dera Baba Nanak in Pakistan as he tweeted, “Welcome decision of Pakistan PM @ImranKhanPTI to build Kartarpur Corridor but will not go there for their ground-breaking ceremony unless Pak ends violence against India. As CM, I have a responsibility to Punjab & will protect it from terror till the last drop of my blood.”
Welcome decision of Pakistan PM @ImranKhanPTI to build Kartarpur Corridor but will not go there for their ground-breaking ceremony unless Pak ends violence against India. As CM, I have a responsibility to Punjab & will protect it from terror till the last drop of my blood. pic.twitter.com/13ociXp6y8
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) November 26, 2018
This difference of opinion between the two hints at their incongruity as on one hand, Sidhu continuously goes against the will of Punjab leadership as Chief Minister Amarinder when asked about Sidhu’s ignorance towards state’s leadership had to say, “It’s the way he thinks”.
On the other hand, Captain prefers to stand with the sentiments of nation by opting to refrain from going to Pak. Captain has made it clear that no interference is coming from the Congress high command in running the state and probably, this is one of the reason why he enjoys the support of the people of Punjab. There is no doubt in the fact that Captain is a strong leader and maintains the gravity of a statesman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyROsGhFseA
Moreover, realising that Amarinder Singh enjoys a strong vote bank and in order to tackle and curb it down, speculations are rife that Rahul and Sonia Gandhi have sent Sidhu for an encroachment in Punjab politics. It seems an uphill task for the Gandhis to curtail the autonomy of Captain Amarinder Singh and dethroning him appears impossible. After all he hails from Armed forces background and his stand of not going to Pakistan shows his nationalist convictions.
