Hyderabad, November 30: Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday said it was Congress President Rahul Gandhi who sent him to Pakistan to attend ground breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor.
“My captain is Rahul Gandhi. He sent me everywhere,” Sidhu said to a query at a news conference here.
He was asked why he ignored the advice of his captain to visit Pakistan.
“Which captain you are talking about. Oh.. Captain Amarinder Singh. He is Army Captain. My captain is Rahul Gandhi. Captain’s captain is also Rahul Gandhi,” he said.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had declined Pakistan’s invitation to attend the ceremony, citing Islamabad’s continued support to terrorism in India. He was also reportedly unhappy over Sidhu’s visit.
Sidhu, however, said that Amarinder Singh is like his father. “He is the chief minister. He is our boss, but this is not the first time I had gone without informing. The last time when I went there (Pakistan) I had said that I will come again for people,” said Sidhu, who returned from Pakistan on Thursday.
Sidhu was in Pakistan for Wednesday’s ground breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor which will allow people from India to have visa-free access to Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara.
Stating that the Congress party has 50 to 100 senior leaders, he said they patted him on his back.
The cricketer-turned-politician once again played down his photographs with pro-Khalistan elements which went viral during his three-day trip to the neighbouring country.
“When I was in Pakistan every day, 10,000 people were coming to me for selfies. How do I know who is Chawla and Cheema,” he said adding that same fellow was there with Harsimrat and Longwal. “He was there everywhere. So how do I know him? This is absolute rubbish,” he said on the allegations by BJP leaders.
“I am popular here. I won six elections. Ask Smriti Irani how many elections she won,” he said reacting to the central minister’s criticism.
Prasanta Patnaik