A membership order issued by the Punjab unit of the Congress formally expelled Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu from the party’s primary rolls with immediate effect. The move follows her assertion that one must offer a “suitcase of Rs 500 crore” to attain the post of Chief Minister — a remark that triggered a strong internal backlash within the party.
Dr Sidhu, who is married to former Punjab Congress president and politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, sparked the controversy during media interactions in Chandigarh after meeting the state’s Governor. She asserted that while no one had demanded such a payment from her, “the one who gives a suitcase of Rs 500 crore becomes the CM,” implying that top political appointments in Punjab are essentially for sale.
The state Congress leadership, headed by Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, acted swiftly and unambiguously. An official party order stated: “Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu is hereby suspended from the primary membership of the party with immediate effect.” The decision came as a rapid response to the uproar her remarks unleashed.
Senior leaders within the party, including the Leader of Opposition in Punjab legislature Partap Singh Bajwa, supported the suspension. Bajwa criticised her statements as “baseless allegations” and declared that such claims undermined party discipline and credibility. Additional condemnation came from former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who mocked the Sidhus’ political journey: having joined the party from the opposition and been elevated to ministerial and president-level posts — how much, he asked, had they allegedly paid for those positions? The suggestion, he contended, was “anti-party.”
Outside the Congress, reaction was swift. Members of rival political outfits seized on the remark to question deeper issues of corruption and “money-bag politics.” Meanwhile, some within Congress saw the suspension as essential for damage control.
In response to her expulsion, Dr Sidhu mounted a fresh assault on the party leadership. She labelled Warring “insensitive, irresponsible, morally dishonest and corrupt,” rejecting his authority and vowing not to accept him as party president. She appealed to what she described as the “brothers and sisters” in the party who had been somehow wronged by his leadership, and questioned why the sitting Chief Minister was protecting him.
Prior to the formal suspension, Dr Sidhu had made additional allegations. She claimed that a candidate for a recent bypoll in Tarn Taran constituency paid Rs 10 crore to secure a party ticket — allegations promptly denied by the candidate, who challenged her to produce proof and offered to swear an oath in a gurdwara.
Her supporters argue that Dr Sidhu’s remarks exposed entrenched corruption and internal factionalism within the state Congress unit. Critics within and outside the party, however, view the statements as irresponsible and reckless, capable of tarnishing the party’s image ahead of future elections.
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