Chandigarh, January 25: A few hours after making public his bitterness over “not being involved” in the process to select the Amritsar Mayor, Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu today registered a silent, but formal protest by handing out signed copies of a statement explaining his resentment to his Cabinet colleagues.
Putting to rest speculation on whether he would skip the Cabinet meeting as a mark of protest, Sidhu rather arrived a few minutes ahead of time, and made it a point not to raise the issue during the meeting. He even touched Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s feet and the two exchanged warm pleasantries at the start of the meeting. In fact, Sidhu maintained his temperament by his witty comments on the financial challenges raised by a minister.
“It looked as if nothing had happened. Since the Local Bodies Minister did not talk about it, no one else raised it,” said a Cabinet Minister. People close to Sidhu said once he had already made clear his resentment in public, there was no point in raising it in the meeting.
Earlier in the day, efforts by party leaders to “placate” Sidhu remained futile. Even as Sidhu lives in the CM’s neighbourhood, no party leader approached him till the evening, the sources said.
Punjab Congress affairs incharge Asha Kumari and Harish Chaudhary and a political adviser to the CM held a long meeting with Capt Amarinder Singh on the issue.
The sources said they discussed the strategy to resolve the matter. However, PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar said Sidhu was not discussed at the meeting, but only matters related to restructuring of the party and the Ludhiana MC polls were taken up.
News Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com
