Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday, 6 June, was removed as the Local Bodies minister in the Punjab cabinet and instead given the two portfolios of Power and New and Renewable Energy Sources in a cabinet reshuffle in Punjab.
Apart from four ministers, changes in the portfolios of all the state ministers have been made, announced by Punjab CM Amarinder Singh.
After the Lok Sabha elections, Singh had said that he intended to change Sidhu's portfolio of local government department, over the party's performance in the polls.
“I intend to change Sidhu’s portfolio for his inept handling of his department,” PTI quoted Singh as saying. The CM said Sidhu’s failure to do any development work had impacted the Congress, which had performed well this time in rural areas.
Sidhu Skips Cabinet Meeting
Earlier on Thursday, Sidhu had skipped a cabinet meeting chaired by CM Singh. In a press meet he held later, he said he did not attend the cabinet meeting because he was the only minister who had been blamed for the loss in the Punjab elections.
At the press meet, Sidhu said that the responsibility of losing or winning an election is “collective”.
“It is a collective responsibility. My department has been singled out publicly. One must have the ability to see things in the right perspective. I cannot be taken for granted. I have been a performer throughout. I am answerable to the people of Punjab,” Sidhu said on Thursday.
Singh had said after the polls that Sidhu was to blame for the electoral loss.
Sidhu on Thursday disagreed with this, saying that he had fulfilled the responsibility he had been given in the state and that the Congress had won big in those two districts.
“Urban seats had a pivotal role in Congress party’s win in Lok Sabha elections in the state. The Chief Minister had given me the responsibility of two districts in Punjab. We won big in these two districts,” he said.
He also said that the Congress had performed better in urban areas than in rural areas.
"The Congress won in all large cities, including Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and SAS Nagar, which is 50 percent of the urban Punjab," said Sidhu.
“We swim together, we sink together,” Sidhu added, making his displeasure about being blamed for the electoral loss clear.
Last month, Sidhu had also skipped another meeting of lawmakers, ministers and newly-elected MPs.
This was the first meeting of the Cabinet after the Lok Sabha elections. Crucial decisions, including changes in Cabinet portfolios were likely to be taken at the meeting, presided over by Singh, IANS reported.
The rift between Sidhu and Singh has been evident for some time, with Sidhu accusing the CM of blocking his wife Navjot Kaur's candidature from Amritsar. Singh in turn has repeatedly voiced his disapproval of Sidhu’s controversial statements and his visits to Pakistan.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI and IANS.)
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