The countdown for the Punjab assembly election has begun and in the very first half of the match, two of Punjab’s most favourite sportspersons turned politicians PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and MLA Pargat Singh along with Kuljit Nagra, have reportedly taken a lead.
On Friday (August 20), Navjot Sidhu shared a picture on his Twitter handle featuring Congress’ top players in current politics, Captain Amarinder Singh, Pargat Singh and Kuljit Nagra and Sidhu itself. Even though the picture shows a united image of the Congress, the team can easily be seen divided in 3/1- i.e. Sidhu, Pargat Singh and Kuljit Nagra on one side, while Capt Amarinder on the flip side.
The picture was from the meeting that was held regarding the formation of a ‘strategic policy group’ that will ensure better coordination between the two arms of the ruling regime i.e. PPCC and Punjab Government to accelerate implementation of various government programmes and reform initiatives.
Where Sidhu is known for his aggressive batting style in the cricket field, Pargat Singh has been defending champion and has served as Captain of the Indian hockey team for 10 long years.
These two players-turned-politicians in the past six months have changed the political dynamics in the state by going against their own government and showing resentment against the CM over unfulfilled poll promises.
Even though the final half of the match will decide the results, the duo Pargat and Sidhu already perplexed oppositions- inside and outside Congress. Notably, Capt Amarinder Singh is not on good terms with either Sidhu or Pargat for a long time now.
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Navjot Singh Sidhu has always been critical of Capt and has made several public remarks against him. Sidhu has been vocal about Capt’s failure of providing justice in the 2015 Guru Granth Sahib desecration case, Punjab power cuts, delay in SIT’s report on recovered drugs etc. Meanwhile, Pargat Singh known for his clean image, and honest and outspoken statements was the first to launch an attack against Capt and back Sidhu.
In fact, Chief Minister's political secretary, Capt Sandeep Sandhu had threatened Pargat Singh after the latter spoke out against sacrilege and police firing cases. By revealing the incident to the media, Pargat took one of the bold steps against his own government.
Pargat is always seen standing by Sidhu. He was the first to deny CM’s demand that Sidhu should publicly apologise for his derogatory remarks. In fact, not only in Congress, but during his tenure in Shiromani Akali Dali, Pargat has always been an outspoken leader and stood by what he believed.
As the Punjab Assembly election 2022 nears, everyone’s eyes will be on Sidhu-Pargat Jodi, advancing in the game of politics, leaving zero points to its opposition.