Five cabinet ministers of Punjab CM camp demand action against advisors of Navjot Singh Sidhu

CHANDIGARH: After nearly 32 MLAs and cabinet ministers of Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu’s camp revolted against chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, five cabinet ministers and an MLA from the Amarinder’s camp has urged the party high command to take ‘strong action under the law’ against Sidhu’s two advisors for ‘anti-national and pro-Pakistan’ comments.
They said the statements of both these newly appointed advisors - Malwinder 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 these two advisors. Besides stringent legal action against Mali and Garg, they also urged the Congress national 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 protection of 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.
These cabinet ministers and the MLA 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, which 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 this 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 of India 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 cabinet ministers and MLA also said that Garg’s statement countering the chief minister’s criticism of Pakistan reflected strong pro-Pakistan leanings.