Minister accuses Sidhu of behaving like 'Pak agent'

Chandigarh: Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday launched yet another salvo against cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, accusing him of "behaving like a Pakistani agent."

"Navjot Sidhu (is) behaving like agent of Pakistan in India," tweeted the outspoken senior BJP leader, keeping up his attack on Punjab minister Sidhu.

Vij had earlier slammed Sidhu for attending the swearing-in of his friend and former cricketer Imran Khan as the prime minister of Pakistan. He had termed Sidhu's participation in the ceremony as an "act of disloyalty" towards India, "not to be endorsed by any patriotic citizen."

Asked to clarify his fresh allegation against Sidhu, Vij said, "The way Sidhu is defending himself for hugging the Pak army chief, the way he is raising questions on some of our prime ministers' visit to Pakistan, the way Imran Khan is coming out in his support, the way Sidhu is heaping praise on Pakistan... this all indicate he is behaving like agent of Pakistan in India." Vij demanded that the Congress should clarify its stand on Sidhu's visit to Pakistan.

At a press conference here on Tuesday, Sidhu had defended hugging Pakistan's army chief in Islamabad, and slammed the BJP's "double standard", reminding it of erstwhile Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's bus yatra to Lahore and present PM Narendra Modi's impromptu stopover in Lahore.

Sidhu had said hugging Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa at the swearing-in ceremony of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was an emotional response to his statement that Pakistan was working on opening up of the Sikh pilgrims' visit to the Kartarpur gurdwara near Lahore.

Sidhu had been slammed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Akali Dal and was ticked off even by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for hugging Bajwa at Khan's swearing-in on August 18.

Soon after Sidhu's press conference here on Tuesday, Imran Khan had tweeted in his support, saying those criticising the Punjab minister were doing a great disservice to peace in the subcontinent.

Sidhu had responded to Khan's tweet, saying by inviting him for his swearing-in, the Pakaistan prime minister had made him an instrument of peace and goodwill between the two nations.

Vij earlier had lashed out at Sidhu for "ignoring the sentiments of the people" mourning the demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by visiting Pakistan to attend Khan's swearing-in ceremony in Islamabad, skipping the former prime minister's last rites despite often dubbing himself in the past as "Vajpayee sab da siphai".

Replying to his critics, Sidhu on Tuesday said he had got due permission from the Government of India to visit Pakistan. "Two days after Pakistan granted me visa, Union Minister Sushma Swaraj called me up and said the permission has been granted. Is there any violation of law? Was it (Pakistan) no man's land," he had asked.

‘Say sorry,’ Sidhu advised

Punjab cabinet minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa on Wednesday suggested his ministerial colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu "say sorry" to the families of slain soldiers for upsetting them by hugging the Pakistan Army chief.

He asserted that the families of soldiers who died in the line of duty were justified in expressing their displeasure over the cricketer-turned-politician's hug.

"Sidhu sahab is my senior colleague. I cannot dictate him. I can only suggest that he can gracefully say sorry to the families of martyrs who expressed unhappiness (over embracing the Pakistan Army chief).

I think there is no harm in saying sorry. He is a wonderful person and a senior minister," Bajwa said here.

However, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar came out in defence of Sidhu again while describing the latter's Pakistan visit as a "manufactured controversy". "It is a manufactured controversy.

I want to say that one should talk on issues instead of discussing individuals. The issue was opening the corridor to the historic Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib (in Pakistan). Sidhu raised this issue in Pakistan," Jakhar said.