Chorus grows to change Sidhu's portfolio

Punjab Forest Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot on Friday joined the chorus blaming Navjot Singh Sidhu for Congress' poor performance in the state and said his action during the parliamentary elections had not only harmed Chief Minister Amarinder Singh but also party President Rahul Gandhi.

He also hit out at the cricketer-turned-politician, asking him to quit if he could not work with the Chief Minister.

Dharamsot's reaction came a day after Amarinder Singh blamed Sidhu's inept handling of the local government for Congress' debacle in urban areas and said he intended to change his portfolio.

The Chief Minister said the urban vote bank had been the backbone of the Congress in the state but Sidhu's failure to do any development work had hurt the party, which had performed well in the rural areas in these elections.

Asked if the party leadership would agree to a change in Sidhu's portfolio, Amarinder Singh said he had raised the issue some months ago, but the party decided to take a call on it after the Lok Sabha elections.

The Chief Minister said he was confident that both Rahul Gandhi and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would agree to the decision in the interest of the state and the party.

--IANS

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