The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has demanded that Punjab's ruling Congress sack its minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for his remarks after the Pulwama terror attack that killed 44 soldiers. The SAD's demand came after heated exchanges between the two parties in the Punjab Assembly, which is sitting on its Budget Session.
"Navjot Singh Sidhu should be suspended from the Congress party for his comments on Pakistan. In fact, a case should be registered against those who make anti-national statements," said SAD leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in Chandigarh, news agency ANI reported.
The comment came after Sidhu was locked in a heated argument with SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia in the Assembly.
Sidhu, a cricketer-turned-television-host-turned-politician, has been at the receiving end of scathing criticism since he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in August 2018, and hugging Pakistan Army chief Qamar Bajwa, even as the Indian government continued to refuse to hold formal talks with Pakistan over its support and financing of terrorist networks and groups. Sidhu had again courted controversy for his remarks and conduct in November 2018 at the inauguration of work on the Kartarpur Corridor in Pakistan.
The latest storm has been over his remarks after the Pulwama terror attack that killed 44 soldiers. Sidhu said the entire country of Pakistan could not be blamed for the actions of one individual. This was at odds with the stated position of the Indian government and the globally acknowledged fact of Pakistan's use of cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy against India, Afghanistan and Iran.
The outrage in response to Sidhu's comment resulted in him booted off from his role as a host on the comedy television programme, The Kapil Sharma Show.
