CHANDIGARH: After 32 MLAs and cabinet ministers of Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu’s camp revolted against chief minister Amarinder Singh, five cabinet ministers and an MLA from the latter’s group have urged the party high command to take “strong action under the law” against Sidhu’s two advisers for “anti-national and pro-Pakistan” comments.
They said the statements of both these newly appointed advisers — Malwinder Singh Mali and Payre Lal Garg — were clearly against India’s interests and detrimental to national security. The cabinet ministers include Brahm Mohindra, Vijay Inder Singla, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot. Congress MLA from Amritsar West Raj Kumar Verka also sought action against the two advisers. Besides stringent legal action against Mali and Garg, they also urged the Congress leadership to direct Sidhu to immediately rein in his aides in the interest of the party as well as the country.
“The Congress has made many sacrifices for the nation’s security and peace, as have our soldiers at the borders. Nobody can or should be allowed to undermine these sacrifices and jeopardise the safety of our country and its people,” they emphasised.
This group also questioned Sidhu’s failure to put his foot down on such anti-national and pro-Pakistan diatribe by his close aides, despite the justified uproar it has triggered across party lines. They pointed out that Sidhu’s omission in this regard had given ammunition to the opposition parties, who were quick to recall the PPCC president’s own bonhomie with the Pakistan prime minister and Army chief. They also warned Sidhu against the massive damage it could cause to the Congress in the run-up to the 2022 Punjab assembly elections, which are due early next year.
These Congress legislators termed Mali’s statement on Kashmir a dangerous and unacceptable deviation from India’s stated position on Jammy and Kashmir. By questioning the unanimous 1994 resolution of the Parliament declaring Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India, Mali had blatantly toed the line of Pakistan, which had been trying to stake claim to the region and was in illegal occupation of certain areas, they added.
These ministers and MLA added that Garg’s statement countering the chief minister’s criticism of Pakistan reflected strong pro-Pakistan leanings.
