'Jealous of Dalit CM': SAD Reacts After Viral Video Shows Sidhu 'Abusing' Punjab CM Channi

The Shiromani Akali Dal on Friday alleged that Navjot Singh Sidhu harboured ambition of becoming a chief minister and was jealous that a member of Scheduled Caste community had become the CM, the attack from the Opposition coming in the wake of a purported video of the Congress leader going viral on social media.

In the video, Sidhu can be heard attacking Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi, saying, "This man (Channi) will sink the Congress in 2022 (assembly election). They should have made me CM".

Reacting to it, SAD vice president Daljit Singh Cheema alleged that the Scheduled Caste card played by the Congress to divert attention from its failures in Punjab had boomeranged on the party "with Navjot Sidhu asserting that the chief minister could not deliver the goods for the party".

In a statement here, Cheema alleged that "Sidhu had also shown how much respect he has for the SC community and CM Charanjit Singh Channi by refusing to wait for even two minutes for the latter to arrive on the occasion of start of the party's protest on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident issue". A Sidhu-led Congress delegation had assembled in Mohali on Thursday before heading for Lakhimpur Kheri in UP to meet the families of the farmers killed in the violence there.

Chief Minister Channi had also joined the Congress leaders for a while when they were about to start their journey from Mohali for Lakhimpur Kheri. Cheema was giving reference to the video which was purportedly shot while Sidhu, who was accompanied by Punjab Ministers Vijay Inder Singla, Pargat Singh and other leaders, were waiting for Channi to arrive.

The SAD leader quoted to the contents of the purported video in which Sidhu is heard making some comments. The authenticity of the video could not be verified and there was no comment from Sidhu on it so far.

The SAD leader said, "It is clear from Sidhu's utterances that he has no love lost for farmers and their cause and that he was only indulging in a game of one-upmanship to secure the top post in the state". "Such persons who keep their own ambition above the welfare of the people cannot give any direction to the state. They stand thoroughly exposed," Cheema said.

Sidhu was instrumental in the ouster of Amarinder Singh, who quit as chief minister earlier.

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