Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday demanded clarification from Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over allegations of supporting separatists in the state. Poet and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kumar Vishwas earlier claimed he had cautioned Kejriwal against taking support from the fringe and separatist elements linked to the Khalistani movement but the Delhi CM had his “formula” ready to become the chief minister of Punjab.
Speaking to news agency, Vishwas alleged Kejriwal had once told him that he would either become the chief minister of Punjab or the first Prime Minister of an independent nation, an apparent reference to Khalistan demanded by Sikh separatists.
“One day, he told me he would either become the chief minister (of Punjab)…or the first prime minister of an independent nation (Khalistan),” Vishwas told news agency.
Sidhu targeted Kejriwal saying “things are seldom as they seem, skimmed milk masquerades as cream,” a famous quote by English dramatist and poet W. S. Gilbert. The Congress leader also posted a Hindi verse as he demanded clarification from Kejriwal, calling him a masquerader.
All political parties have further intensified the high-octane campaign for Punjab assembly elections as the polling day, scheduled for February 20, nears.
While Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi courted controversy during a roadshow by asking people to not let ‘bhaiyas’ – a slur often used against migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar – enter the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party urged the Election Commission to ban Sidhu from campaigning over an alleged derogatory remark against a Brahmin candidate.
The BJP alleged that the Congress leader was promoting hatred and division in the society with his comments.