Kapil Sharma rues over Navjot Singh Sidhu's exit from his show, the latter says he has no intimation of his termination

Condemning the “dastardly” attack by Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed, Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday asked whether an entire nation can be blamed for a handful of people. 

“Nations cannot be held responsible for the dastardly acts of terrorists. The terrorists do not have deen, mazhab (sect and religion).There are good, the bad and the ugly. Every institution has them. Every nation has them. The ugly need to be punished.” Sidhu said.

" He followed that up by saying, "For a handful of people, can you blame the entire nation and can you blame an individual?"

“This is about a terrorist attack, which was a dastardly and cowardly act. Those who perpetrate such act should be punished. But, these people cannot hold nations to ransom. If some terrorist organisation has done it, then wage a war against them,” Sidhu added. He also called for a “dialogue to find a permanent solution to end the bloodshed.”

Sidhu's comments created a storm on social media, with dozens on Twitter demanding Sidhu's boycott from The Kapil Sharma Show. Later, reports of him being replaced with Archana Puran Singh started doing the rounds. 

However, when contacted, Archana told Hindustan Times that she is "clueless" about it. "I don’t have any information about replacing Sidhu. I got to know from the media that this is happening. I’m yet to get any official communication from the channel and creative heads of the show,” she said. She added that she had shot for two episodes on February 9 and 13, “but that was before the Pulwama terror attack”.

Sidhu, on his part, clarified that he had to attend Vidhan Sabha's session on Feb 9 and 13 because of which he couldn't shoot the episodes. And that Archana was just a replacement for those two episodes.

Sony TV posted a promo from the episode featuring Archana Puran Singh with a note that said, "We welcome Archana Puran Singh on #TheKapilSharmaShow, next Sunday! The episode featuring Archana will be aired February 23.

The channel is yet to release an official statement on Mr. Sidhu's future on the show.

While attending an event in Chandigarh University, during a media interaction, Kapil said that because of Sidhu's prior work commitments, they have been joined by Archana on the show. However, he also went on to add that removing someone from a show is not a permanent solution for anything.

"Halaaki ye bahut choti cheezein hain, ya phir propoganda hota hai jinmein iss tareeke ke baatein aati hain. Mere manna yeh hai ki kisi ko ban karna ya, Navjot Singh Sidhu ko show she bahaar karna in baaton ka solution nahi hai. Ek sthai samadhaan humein milkar dekhna hoga." (All this is mere propaganda. I believe banning people, sending Navjot Singh Sidhu out of the show is not the right solution. We need to look for a permanent solution.)

Sidhu uploaded a video on Twitter saying: “I had to attend Vidhan Sabha’s session due to which I couldn’t go for the shoots of The Kapil Sharma Show and they got somebody else in my replacement for two episodes. I have no intimation about my termination from the channel. If it is regarding my statement, I will stick to what I have been saying yesterday, today and ever tomorrow.”

Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday stuck to his stand saying that though for him, “country had always been first”, he “cannot blame an entire nation for what a few cowards did”.

“Mere liye hamesha hi desh pehle tha (For me the country had always been first)… but I stand by what I said yesterday (Friday) and I cannot blame an entire nation for an act done by a few cowards..,” said Sidhu, adding his statement was “distorted”. He was replying to a query by media persons here that for him what matters more, friendship or country.

“I continue to stand by my words that terrorism has no dharam, mazhab, zaat aur desh (religion, caste or country). My statement was not shown fully and a line was picked from it. Act of a few terrorists cannot make a country kneel before them. They have killed our jawans, they have put a blot on our turbans (dignity), but just because of their cowardly act, we cannot put a full stop on the philosophy of Guru Nanak. A decision taken by two Prime Ministers to open Kartarpur Corridor should not be affected because of these cowards,” said Sidhu who was in Ludhiana Saturday to announce some development projects being undertaken by the municipal corporation.