'Insecure' Badal responsible for attack on my convoy: Sidhu

Former cricketer and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday blamed Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for the attack on his convoy in Jammu and Kashmir and claimed the latter was insecure about his (Sidhu's) popularity.

"My popularity in Punjab and J-K is making Badal Sahib insecure; he cannot say anything on Sidhu politically.......just go and ask Badal Sahib who is responsible for the drugs sale? Who is responsible for stalling the development in Amritsar? We have to stop dynasty politics. I openly invite Badal Sahib to come on any national channel for a discussion," Sidhu told media persons here.

"Sending 15 people will not end rallies, I have addressed more than 50 rallies...I can even lay down my life for my party.... When I used to campaign for Badal Sahib to make him win, then everything was fine. Now, the people of Punjab are demanding a change. He feels insecure when I utter one line," he said.

Earlier in the day, unknown assailants attacked Sidhu's convoy, pelting the cars with stones. In the melee, the windscreens of some cars were damaged.

On Wednesday, Sidhu had reportedly appealed to the people of Jammu to 'disband' the Congress, People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC) from the state, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had envisaged a vision for the state in which Jammu and Kashmir would compare favourably with Gujarat.

This attack is the second that Sidhu has faced after the former Amritsar MP was reportedly roughed up earlier this week by unidentified Sikh youths after he had addressed a rally.