Amarinder 'coward', 'crybaby', says Sidhu

Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday once again trained his guns on former state chief minister Amarinder Singh, calling him a "fraud", "coward" and a "crybaby". Sidhu also dubbed the former CM as a "spent cartridge" and a "dying duck in a thurderstrom, a lost cause", a day after the veteran leader resigned from the Congress and announced the name of his party, Lok Punjab Congress.

Chandigarh:Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday once again trained his guns on former state chief minister Amarinder Singh, calling him a "fraud", "coward" and a "crybaby". Sidhu also dubbed the former CM as a "spent cartridge" and a "dying duck in a thurderstrom, a lost cause", a day after the veteran leader resigned from the Congress and announced the name of his party, Lok Punjab Congress.

Meanwhile, Punjab ministers Pargat Singh and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also attacked the former CM over his party and bonhomie with the BJP. Amarinder Singh had resigned as the Punjab Congress chief after a bitter power tussle with Sidhu.

On Amarinder Singh indicating in his resignation letter to Congress national president Sonia Gandhi that he would "expose" the MLAs embroiled in illegal sand mining, Sidhu in an interaction with reporters in Amritsar asked, "Was he sleeping all these years?" If there was mafia during his regime, then who was earning the money, he asked.

Sidhu dubbed Amarinder Singh as the "world's biggest coward", questioning why he did not act if he found any wrongdoing. Replying to a question, Sidhu said, "I don't want to talk about spent cartridges."

"He is a fraud person. He has become a 'rondu bachha' (crybaby). It is said when person ages he becomes like a child, he has become a 'rondu bacha' now," Sidhu said. "You are a dying duck in a thunderstorm, a lost cause," he added hitting out at Amarinder Singh.

Sidhu also claimed that people of Punjab hate the former CM. "We changed a failed chief minister," said Sidhu, referring to the resignation of Amarinder Singh as the Punjab CM. "People of Punjab will have to decide whether they stand with those who fight for Punjab or with those who fight for power," he said.

Sidhu said he never hankered for posts and all along stood for Punjab's interests. "I always chose Punjab," he said. Sidhu also made a mention of Tuesday's meeting of party MLAs and other senior leaders, in which Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was also present.

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Replying to a question, Sidhu said policies are not for two months but a roadmap is given for five years. "Sidhu will stand with the roadmap of Punjab," he said.

When asked what all can be achieved by the Channi government in a short span as the Punjab Assembly polls are only a few months away, Sidhu replied, "When there is right intent, good policy and political will, everything is possible". Meanwhile, state Sports and Education Minister Pargat Singh attacked the former CM over his new party the Punjab Lok Congress.

His party is neither for "Punjabis" nor for "Lok", and certainly not the "Congress", tweeted Pargat. Transport Minister Amarinder Singh Raja Warring targeted the former CM for attacking Sidhu over his alleged Pakistan links and the veteran leader's relations with the BJP.

He said Amarinder Singh in his letter to party president Sonia Gandhi mentioned about Sidhu hugging the Pakistan Army chief and that country's PM during his visit there. "As U now r 'seat sharing' with anti-farmer BJP here r few pictures of ur new found BumChums,” tweeted Warring tagging photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan in 2015.

Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh had on Tuesday resigned from the Congress, accusing party president Sonia Gandhi and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of hatching a "midnight conspiracy" to oust him. The 79-year-old leader timed his bitter resignation letter with an announcement on the name of his new party.

The Punjab Lok Congress will be formally launched after the Election Commission registers it and allots a poll symbol. In his resignation letter, Amarinder had also attacked Sidhu for his alleged Pakistani links and said the latter's "claim to fame was that he would abuse me and my government on a regular basis".

He had described as an “acolyte of the Pakistani deep state”.

PTI