Breaking the silence on cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu’s possible induction into the Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Sidhu had put no pre-conditions and just needed “time to think”.
Kejriwal said his respect for Sidhu, who met him last Friday at his residence, will continue irrespective of whether “he joins (AAP) or not”.
The tweet has come after a week of reported silence on the matter, since the meeting between the two. Sidhu’s entry into AAP has been much spoken about and anticipated, ever since he stepped down as Rajya Sabha MP in July and left the BJP.
While 15 August was meant to be his speculated date of joining, nearly a week later, there seems to be no news of his political future.
The AAP constitution does not permit handing out tickets to members of the same family, making it problematic for both Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu to get a ticket together.
There were also rumours that Sidhu wanted to join the party as the chief ministerial candidate, but chances of that happening seem bleak as AAP maintains that he was only meant to be a star campaigner.
It had also made it clear that his joining will not be on any term or condition.
The party said it was Sidhu’s decision to quit the Rajya Sabha and it will be “entirely” his call to join the outfit.
The people of Punjab will decide who their MLA and the Chief Minister will be.Dilip Pandey, National Spokesperson, AAP
Another senior party leader said “things will not play out exactly the way he (Sidhu) wants,” pointing out that the party was already doing well in Punjab “even before Sidhu expressed his desire to join it.”
Sidhu left the BJP last month reportedly because the party didn’t accord him his desired place in Punjab.