CHANDIGARH: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday strongly reacted to reports claiming that former MLA Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu had resigned from the Congress party, asserting that she was expelled years ago and therefore had no standing to quit the party now.
Addressing the media, Warring went a step further by making a controversial remark about Dr Sidhu’s mental health, saying he “felt pity for her” and that she “needs treatment.” His comments triggered sharp reactions in political circles, even as the Congress leadership sought to downplay the controversy.
Warring said the reports of Dr Sidhu’s resignation were misleading. “She was expelled from the Congress long back. How can someone resign from a party of which they are not even a member?” he asked, maintaining that the issue was being unnecessarily blown out of proportion.
The Punjab Congress chief was responding to Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu’s statement in which she claimed to have quit the party and levelled a series of allegations against Warring, accusing him of undermining party interests and indulging in factional politics. She had also alleged that the Congress leadership in Punjab had deviated from its ideological commitments and was responsible for the party’s decline in the state.
Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, a former MLA from Amritsar East, has been at odds with the Congress leadership for several years. Her estrangement from the party began during the previous Congress government in Punjab, particularly after her husband, Navjot Singh Sidhu, fell out with then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and later with sections of the party leadership.
Dr Sidhu had publicly criticised the party on multiple occasions, accusing it of sidelining honest leaders and failing to act on key issues such as sacrilege cases and accountability of senior leaders. Following repeated instances of indiscipline and public dissent, the Congress had announced disciplinary action against her, which party leaders now cite as her effective expulsion.
Despite being politically inactive in recent times, Dr Sidhu has periodically resurfaced with sharp criticism of the Congress leadership, including Raja Warring, whom she has accused of centralising power and weakening the party organisation.