"Only Rs 500 Crore Suitcase Gets You CM Chair": Navjot Kaur Sidhu's Explosive Allegation
The political landscape of Punjab was jolted on Saturday by a stunning claim from Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu. While speaking to the media after meeting Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria regarding the state's deteriorating law and order, she alleged that only a politician who can deliver a suitcase containing Rs 500 crore becomes the chief minister of Punjab.
Her remarks, seen as a direct indictment of alleged corruption within her own party, have ignited a major controversy. Navjot Kaur stated that while her husband had the vision to bring a turnaround in Punjab if any party empowered him, they lacked the financial means to make such a "donation." When pressed by journalists on why she mentioned money, she clarified, "No one asked us for money, but only a person who gives a suitcase full of Rs 500 crore becomes the CM."
Congress Retaliates: Randhawa Questions Sidhus' Loyalty
The Congress party was swift to counter the allegations. On Sunday, senior Congress MP and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa launched a sharp rebuttal. He reminded that the party had appointed Navjot Singh Sidhu as a minister and later as the state party president, a position he argued is higher than that of the chief minister.
"I want to ask how much money did he give and to whom for that?" Randhawa questioned, terming the Sidhus' allegations as "anti-party" activity that the high command should investigate. He accused the couple of being inactive for four years and levelling charges only as elections approach. Randhawa also recalled Sidhu's refusal to address a rally attended by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Dhuri ahead of the 2022 polls as an act of betrayal.
Navjot Kaur had also cited intense infighting within the Punjab Congress as a reason for her husband's political distance. She expressed doubt that the faction-ridden state unit, which already has "five chief ministerial aspirants," would ever allow Sidhu to be promoted.
Opposition Seizes the Moment: AAP and BJP Launch Scathing Attacks
The opposition parties quickly capitalized on the internal rift within the Congress. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) labeled the statement as an exposure of the Congress's "internal reality." AAP spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal in Amritsar said the claim revealed why the Congress is in ruins, with multiple leaders vying for the top post.
In Chandigarh, AAP Punjab general secretary Baltej Pannu called the remarks "deeply disturbing" and posed a series of pointed questions. "Does the Congress actually sell the CM face for Rs 500 crore? If Sidhus claim they don't have Rs 500 crore, who pays this amount? Where does this money go?" Pannu demanded answers for the people of Punjab.
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, a former Congressman himself, added fuel to the fire. He referenced an alleged audio clip where a claim was made about securing the chief ministership for Rs 350 crore. "I heard from the horse's mouth, or you may say son of the horse," Jakhar stated, implying the corruption claims are an open secret. He further claimed that "dacoits" who decide who cannot become CM are still holding powerful positions within the Congress.
The controversy has thrown the spotlight back on the internal turmoil within the Punjab Congress and has provided ample ammunition to its political rivals ahead of the crucial electoral battles in the state.
