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Chandigarh: Former Congress MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, suspended from the party earlier this week, said on Tuesday that she is in discussions with the Congress High Command but will not return unless those “ruining the party” are removed. Speaking to reporters in Patiala, she said she “will not support thieves” and would only consider rejoining if four to five individuals she holds responsible for weakening the Congress in Punjab are sidelined.
Sidhu alleged that her remarks after meeting the Governor were distorted and claimed that certain people who “own nearly 10,000 acres in the Shivalik range” felt threatened because she opposed efforts to legalise such land with the alleged support of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. She said she had intended to raise these issues directly with Rahul Gandhi, but before she could do so, she received the Governor’s appointment.
Referring to Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who served her a legal notice for defamation, Sidhu dismissed his action and accused him of “selling tickets for crores in Rajasthan,” adding that she had already forwarded “evidence” to the High Command. She further claimed that Randhawa “could not even ensure his wife’s victory” and insisted that her statements were being twisted for political motives.
Sidhu maintained that she had only answered a media question about why she was not being considered for chief ministership. “I said becoming CM takes ₹500 crore, but I never said anyone asked us for money,” she clarified. She reiterated that her intention was to highlight issues of public importance, including alleged land deals, and that delays occurred because Rahul Gandhi was “misguided by people around him.”
Commenting on her suspension, Sidhu said notices issued by the Punjab Congress leadership “carry no legitimacy” and claimed that proper discussions with the central leadership were still underway. She asserted that the All India Congress Committee (AICC) supported her and declared, without naming individuals, that 70% of the Congress was “with her,” though she said she did not want others to face backlash by revealing their names.
She also said she and her husband, former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, had nothing to fear from any investigation by central agencies: “We are open. We have nothing to hide.”
Sidhu continued her criticism of Randhawa and state Congress chief Raja Warring, insisting that the party’s revival in Punjab required the removal of those who were “destroying the organisation from within.”
