Taking a swipe at the Congress over the ongoing political turmoil in Punjab, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra on Wednesday said the party has become a vehicle without a driver.
Speaking to ANI, Mishra said, "The condition of Congress has now become a vehicle without a driver. The driver who is sitting does not know where to take the car. The Congress leadership lacks merit. They are not aware of the ground situation and in the same sequence, they humiliated Captain Amarinder Singh."
The union minister slammed Navjot Singh Sidhu calling him "unstable" and "extremely ambitious".
"Congress appointed Sidhu as the party's Punjab chief. Everyone knows what kind of mentality Sidhu has. When he was in sports, he left the England tour in the middle for a minor issue. When Navjot Singh Sidhu was in the BJP, he had a different behaviour; in the Congress, he is behaving differently. He is an unstable and extremely ambitious person. He does not care about the party as well as the safety and security of the country," he stated.
Mishra further said, "Captain Amarinder Singh had said earlier that Sidhu is not trustworthy. He also had said that Punjab is a border state of the country, hence Navjot Singh Sidhu is a concern for national security."
Hailing former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, the union minister said he is a very big leader and has the ground knowledge of Punjab. Mishra said the Congress leadership should have considered the views of Captain.
Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital on Wednesday. Following this meeting, speculations are rife that Captain might join BJP.
Asked if Captain will join BJP, the union minister said, "Captain Amarinder Singh is certainly a patriotic person. I cannot say whether he will join BJP or not. It is his personal choice. However, everything is possible in politics."
Navjot Singh Sidhu tendered his resignation as Punjab Congress chief on Tuesday.
Sidhu, reportedly upset over the bureaucratic setup and his commands not being followed after Cabinet expansion in Punjab, was appointed as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) on July 23 following months of turmoil in the state Congress unit.
Sidhu's resignation as state party chief has intensified the crisis in the Punjab Congress and triggered discussions and deliberations in the party. A minister and three Congress leaders, considered close to him, stepped down from their posts.
This comes as a big blow to the Congress high command that was hoping to resolve the turmoil in the Congress unit of Punjab ahead of the Assembly elections early next year.
After the tussle in Punjab Congress between Sidhu and Captain Amarinder Singh escalated, the party had appointed Sidhu as the Congress chief apparently against the wishes of then Chief Minister.
( With inputs from ANI )
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