New Delhi: Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been slammed from all quarters over this comments after the Pulwama terror attack that an “entire nation can’t be held responsible”, got some ‘advice’ from senior
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday.
The cricketer-politician, who calls himself a friend of Pakistan, had sparked outrage with his comment that a nation cannot be held responsible for the acts of terrorists, which was seen to support Pakistan and its Prime Minister
Imran Khan (a former cricket legend) despite New Delhi’s strong resolve to work for Pakistan’s isolation.
“Navjot Singh Sidhu ji, please make your friend Imran bhai understand,” Singh tweeted. “You are being abused because of him,” he continued in another tweet.
Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibilty for the Febraury 14 attack in which over 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers laid down their lives.
The Congress had said those in public life should speak and act “totally in sync” with the people’s sentiments.
Navjot Sidhu’s boss, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh who has had difference of opinion with Sidhu over Pakistan, said he had served in the army whereas Mr Sidhu was a cricketer.
After he was targeted by the BJP and the Akali Dal, Sidhu had said his remarks were “distorted”. He stood by his remarks and also referred to the 1999 hijack of an Indian Airlines flight and the swap of passengers held hostage in
Kandahar with three terrorists including Jaish chief Masood Azhar in Kandahar.
Imran Khan, amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan, on Tuesday said Pakistan will retaliate if India attacks.
Sidhu, who made his political debut as a BJP lawmaker in 2004 but joined the Congress ahead of the 2017 assembly polls in Punjab, had drawn flak last year when he visited Pakistan to attend the swearing-in of Prime Minister
Imran Khan and greeted the army chief of the neighbouring country with a hug. The former cricketer’s latest remarks have evoked outrage within the political circles as well as on social media and he has reportedly been asked to
leave a comedy show hosted by Kapil Sharma.
