Navjot Singh Sidhu and Punjab CM Amarinder Singh (R)

NEW DELHI: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday divested Navjot Singh Sidhu of the local government department and gave him the ministry of power and new & renewable energy, in a cabinet reshuffle done amid open differences between the two top Congress leaders of the state.

Sidhu's tourism and cultural affairs portfolio was also taken away, as per an official statement. The portfolio rejig took place hours after the first state cabinet meeting following the Lok Sabha elections.

Barring four ministers, there are some changes in the portfolios of all the others as a result of the reallocation, according to an official statement.

Singh, who changed the portfolios of most of his ministers, said this will help further streamline the government and bring more transparency and efficiency in the functioning of departments.

With the Congress government in the state nearing its mid-term mark, he hoped that the exercise will re-energise his team and bring freshness into the working of major departments.

Singh, who had hinted at a reshuffle after the completion of the poll process, has allocated the Local Government department to his senior-most colleague Brahm Mohindra.

On May 19, Amarinder Singh had accused Sidhu of damaging the Congress's prospects just before the general election with his "irresponsible actions".

Amarinder Singh had recently said he intended to change the cricketer-turned-politician's portfolio of local government department over the party's "poor performance" in the state's urban areas in the Lok Sabha polls.

In retaliation, Sidhu on Thursday skipped the first state cabinet meeting after the elections and asserted he cannot be "taken for granted".

"I cannot be taken for granted. I have been a performer throughout in 40 years of my life be it international cricket, or world class commentary with Geoffrey Boycott, TV shows or 1,300 motivational talks," Sidhu told reporters.

Sidhu said urban areas had played a pivotal role in the party's victory in Punjab and alleged that his department is being singled out.

"My department is being singled out publicly. I always regard him as my elder I always listen to him. But it hurts and now where is the collective responsibility? He (Singh) could have called me and said anything he wanted to say. But I was singled out in spite of collective responsibility," he said here.

He added that he would defend his name, credibility and performance "fiercely".

"Everybody is asking me why I did not go to the cabinet meeting. Oath is administered when you become a cabinet minister, then it is said that it is a collective responsibility. I have been a political science student and it is taught that the rule is 'we swim and we sink together'," Sidhu said.

Referring to past cabinet meetings, Sidhu said his chair in these meetings may be "three inches" away from that of the CM's, "but it seems I am too far from him and he (Singh) lacks faith in me."

In the recently held general election, Congress won eight of the 13 seats. The SAD-BJP combine won four while the AAP managed to win only one seat.

Commenting on the absence of Sidhu from the cabinet meeting, Punjab minister Sadhu Singh Dharmsot said Sidhu should have attended it.

Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, another minister, said, "I am not Sidhu's assistant. I am not responsible if he does not attend the meeting. If he was having a parallel (press) meeting then it is indiscipline."

Following the Congress's performance, Singh last month had said Sidhu is perhaps "ambitious" and "wants to be the chief minister".

"I never raised a finger at my own people nor will I raise today. But I have earned a name, I command respect and I will never allow anyone to put a blot on it.

"I will defend it fiercely. I will defend my name, my credibility and my performance very fiercely. I have all the respect for every Congressman. My fight is always against my opponents," Sidhu said.

In urban areas, the Congress won 34 out of 54 assembly segments with a 63 per cent strike rate and in rural areas, the party bagged 35 out of the 63 segments with a 55 per cent strike rate, he claimed.

"The Congress made a gigantic leap in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Punjab by defeating the Modi wave, especially in urban areas which played a pivotal-role in changing the fortunes of the party as compared to that in the 2014 elections," Sidhu claimed.

In 2014, the Congress won three seats out of the 13 parliamentary constituencies in Punjab and the SAD-BJP combine six seats.

Sidhu said last time, the Congress won in 37 assembly segments to get three parliamentary seats.

But, in 2019, the party won in 69 assembly segments, taking the tally to eight Lok Sabha seats. Out of these 69 segments, 34 are in urban areas, he claimed.

"The Congress won in all the major cities of Punjab, including Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and SAS Nagar. Digging for facts is a much better exercise than jumping to conclusions," Sidhu said.

Sidhu, who also holds the tourism and cultural affairs portfolios, said his local government department had raised resources to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore for development.

On May 23, Singh alleged that Sidhu's "inept handling" of the local government department was the reason behind the Congress's poor performance in urban areas.

(With inputs from agencies)



In Video: Navjot Singh Sidhu sacked as Punjab cabinet minister