Coalition unaffected by intemperate statements of Sidhu, says Majithia

Punjab's Information and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia has dubbed former Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu's comment against the Shriomani Akali Dal Badal (SAD) as 'uncalled for' and 'extremely unfortunate'.

"A person who a few years ago credited his success to the sincerity and hard work of Akali workers is now making bizarre statements. People are smart; they can read through what is being said and why it is being done," Majithia told mediapersons after attending the appointment of Gurpreet Randhawa as the chairman of Amritsar Market Committee.

"Apparently, Mr. Sidhu is frustrated over not getting the seat of Amritsar (this time), but the decision in this respect was taken by the BJP High Command. So, it is better for him to sort out issues with his party rather than pouring out personal frustration," he added.

Responding to a media query, Majithia said the Akali-BJP coalition is far above the intemperate statements of Sidhu couple. He said that Parkash Singh Badal and Atal Bihari Vajpayee came together to form a coalition in tough times when there was a lot of mistrust between the two communities.

"At that time, the Akali Dal extended an unconditional support as the parties had similar thoughts and beliefs," he added.

Majithia further said that even when the name of Narendra Modi was proposed as the prime ministerial candidate, the Akali Dal had whole-heartedly supported the proposition.

"So, it is evident that coalition of parties is not because of Sidhu or me. These are party decisions and any adverse comments from a person who is not even a member of Co-ordination Committee are not welcome. Striking discordant notes just for the sake of criticism when a mechanism exists to discuss and resolve all issues will not help the cause of coalition. All responsible leaders should desist from such activities," said Majithia.

"If at all anything needs to be addressed, that is purely the party's prerogative and not of the Sidhus," he added.