Rajnath ducks query on Sidhu's outburst

Embarrassed by the recent outburst of its Amritsar Lok Sabha member Navjot Singh Sidhu against the Akali Dal-BJP alliance government in Punjab, the BJP Monday tried to play down the controversy saying that it was a "minor issue".

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh said here that the issue between Sidhu and the state government was a "small one" and would be taken care of.

"There is no major problem. I am aware of it. I have spoken to all (concerned). It will be resolved," the BJP president, who was in the city Monday to meet party core committees of Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh.

Sidhu, who remained absent from his constituency for nearly eight months, returned to Amritsar recently. He lashed out at the Parkash Singh Badal government for not doing enough for the development of Amritsar despite it being a Sikh holy city.