Breaking his silence, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu said on Monday said that he had resigned from the Rajya Sabha because he was being constantly asked to stay away from Punjab.

“For me no ‘dharma’ is bigger than Punjab… I won’t betray the people of my State,” he told journalists outside the Commonwealth Games Village here.

Without taking any names, Mr. Sidhu took a dig at the BJP and alleged that he was being asked “not to head” towards Punjab.

State comes first

“How can I stay away from my motherland for their selfish gains...? If I have to choose between my party and my State, I’ll always stand with Punjab to serve its interests,” he said.

“I had won four elections, but during the last parliamentary elections, when the wave was in favour of Modiji, they [the BJP] along with the Opposition drowned me as well.” He was told that he could not fight from Amritsar and was asked to contest from Kurukshetra or West Delhi.

“I said no to them. I did not leave my roots then. Neither did I care about profit and loss. For me, the interest of the people of Punjab, and Amritsar in particular, is top priority,” he said.

Evasive on joining AAP

Mr. Sidhu, however, evaded questions whether he would be joining the AAP or quitting the BJP.

“Wherever Punjab’s interest is served, you will find me there,” he said.

Asked if he wanted to be AAP’s chief ministerial candidate, he said his priority had always been Punjab. “I have no wish for any post, but I will not break the trust of those who made me an MP.”

BJP’s Punjab president Vijay Sampla has said the party had not received Mr. Sidhu's resignation.

Mr. Sidhu, who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, resigned on July 18, fuelling rumours that he was joining the AAP ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections due early next year.