Chandigarh: 

Amarinder Singh, after delivering a “told-you-so” barb at the Gandhis on rival Navjot Singh Sidhu’s shock resignation as Punjab Congress chief, stacked up more digs at the cricketer-turned-politician. Navjot Sidhu’s resignation within two months of taking over the vital post was “sheer drama” and suggests that he is preparing to quit the Congress and join hands with another party ahead of polls early next year, the former Punjab Chief Minister said on Tuesday.

Earlier, he had tweeted: “I told you so…he is not a stable man and not fit for the border state of Punjab.”

He called Mr Sidhu a “shifty character”, typical of someone who had “deserted the Indian team in 1996 in England”.

“That’s what his real character is. I’ve known this boy since his childhood and he has been a loner and can never be a team player,” said Mr Singh.

“I had been saying all along that this man is unstable and dangerous, and cannot be entrusted with the task of running Punjab,” said the Captain, repeating that Ms Sidhu had been “absolutely incompetent” during his stint as a minister in his government.

Punjab is a sensitive state sharing over 600 km of border with a hostile Pakistan, said Mr Singh, adding that “Sidhu’s close links with his cricketer friend Imran Khan (Pakistan Prime Minister) and ISI chief Qamar Javed Bajwa are a serious threat to India’s national security”.

Describing Mr Sidhu as a “flamboyant” speaker, the former Chief Minister said his entertaining talk at public meetings was all froth and no substance. “People don’t vote for buffoonery”, he said, adding that no one takes him (Mr Sidhu) seriously.

Mr Sidhu is believed to have quit because he was upset at the decisions on ministers taken by new Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, ironically seen to be his man. 

“What nonsense is this! Cabinet formation is the prerogative of the chief minister, so why should Sidhu interfere in it,” Mr Singh reacted.

On Mr Sidhu’s asserting that he was quitting on matters of principle, the Captain remarked: “What principles is he talking about? He’s only making grounds to quit the Congress. You wait and see, he will join hands with some other party very soon”. 

Mr Singh is in Delhi for the first time since he resigned as Chief Minister, complaining to the Congress leadership about being humiliated, and there is intense speculation that he will meet with BJP leaders. He insists he is on a personal visit, mainly to vacate the Kapurthala House for the new Chief Minister.