Sidhu, 52, and his wife are now expected to join AAP. Sidhu says he can't be neutral in war of right and wrong.
Just two months ago, Navjot Singh Sidhu had showered praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the way he paid tributes to revolutionary Chandra Shekhar Azad in Allahabad during the BJP's national executive.
His appearance on the dais at the party conclave was seen as his return to active politics after he was nominated to Rajya Sabha. But, on Monday morning as Parliament's Monsoon Session began, he took a new political turn quitting from the Upper House, in all likelihood to join Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Admi Party (AAP) ahead of the Punjab polls. His wife Navjot Kaur, MLA and chief parliamentary secretary in the state, where BJP shares power with Akali Dal, also quit from the party.
Sidhu, 52, and his wife are now expected to join AAP. Party sources said he may be formally announced as chief ministerial candidate when the AAP launches its manifesto next week. However, there was no official confirmation.
AAP welcomed Sidhu's decision to quit from Rajya Sabha and said the party's doors were open for the cricketer-turned-politician. Party's Punjab convenor Sucha Singh Chhotepur and AAP state in-charge Sanjay Singh said Sidhu had taken a courageous decision.
"He had been working for Punjab for a long time. We look forward to him joining the party," Chhotepur told dna, even though he refrained from commenting if Sidhu has already joined the party.
Sidhu's decision came on a day Kejriwal washed utensils at Amritsar's golden temple to apologise for his party's youth manifesto that used the image of a Sikh shrine and a broom, which is the AAP's symbol. Kejriwal, who is touring Punjab as part of his party's political campaign ahead of the state assembly elections next year, said he 'salutes' Sidhu's decision and asked which sitting Rajya Sabha MP quits to "save" his state.
The AAP which is seeking an entry into Punjab and had been consistently campaigning across Punjab, did not have a chief ministerial Sikh face so far, while its rivals-- Shirmomani Akali Dal and the Congress-- did. While Sidhu could fill the gap for AAP, party sources said there was no demand from him on what role he would like to play in the party.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders were caught unawares by Sidhu's resignation with most of them getting the news through media or twitter. Later, the House was informed that Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari has accepted the resignation with immediate effect.
Sidhu's disappointment with the BJP reflected in his brief statement, in which he made it clear that his priorities lay in Punjab. "At the behest of the honourable PM, I had accepted the Rajya Sabha nomination for the welfare of Punjab. With the closure of every window leading to Punjab the purpose stands defeated. It is now a mere burden. I prefer not to carry it. In the war of right or wrong, you can't afford to be neutral rather than being self-centered. Punjab's interest is paramount," he said.
The cricketer-turned-politician had been miffed with the party since 2014, since he had to make way for senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley to fight the Lok Sabha election from Amritsar, a constituency Sidhu represented since 2004.
According to sources, while it was known that Sidhu and his wife had strained relations with the Akali Dal, his wife may be the driving force behind his decision to join AAP, and could play a major role. However, he had not met Kejriwal yet, AAP sources said.
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