Rahul Gandhi Disconnected From Ground Realities: Navjot Kaur Sidhu Launches Sharp Attack

Expelled Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu has mounted a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of being disconnected from ground realities and holding him responsible for the worsening situation within the party in Punjab.

Addressing a rally in Coimbatore, Sidhu said Gandhi “talks sense” but fails to translate words into action. She claimed that for nearly eight months she sought an appointment with him to raise concerns about alleged wrongdoing in the Punjab Congress unit, including claims that election tickets were already being “sold”, but received no response.

“If you don’t know what’s happening beneath you, then you don’t deserve that chair,” Sidhu said, directly blaming Gandhi for ignoring ground-level feedback and allowing internal problems to fester. Her remarks have triggered fresh unease within the Punjab unit of the Indian National Congress.

Sidhu also alleged that assurances made to her and her husband, senior leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, including promises of a deputy chief minister’s post and a Lok Sabha ticket, were not honoured. Questioning Gandhi’s anti-corruption stance, she accused his inner circle of shielding corrupt leaders while sidelining honest voices, warning that the party would “not win Punjab” if corrective steps were not taken ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

Sidhu’s comments come days after she was expelled from the Congress on February 6 following controversy over her claim that aspirants for the Punjab chief minister’s post were expected to pay “₹500 crore in a suitcase”. Though she later said her remarks were misinterpreted, the party first suspended her in December 2025 and subsequently expelled her.

Since then, Sidhu has intensified her criticism through a series of posts on X, accusing Gandhi of delayed decision-making and alleging that his advisers keep him insulated from realities on the ground while enjoying power and privileges.

Her remarks have fuelled speculation about a possible return to the BJP, which she joined in 2012 and left in 2016 before moving to Congress. Sidhu, however, said her primary focus would remain on the welfare of Punjab, even if she operates outside active party politics.