Congress approached us, but my hubby firm on AAP: Sidhu's wife

Chandigarh, Aug 14: Ahead of cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu's likely induction into Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) next week, his MLA wife Navjot Kaur on Saturday said that Congress too had approached them, but her husband had made up his mind to go with the Arvind Kejriwal led party.

Navjot Kaur made these revelations in Delhi after her Friday meeting with Kejriwal. Sidhu, who stunned poll pundits by resigning as BJP's Rajya Sabha MP+ , is likely to join AAP next week. Many in Punjab believe that considering his blistering attacks on the Badal family over the years, his induction will give a fillip to AAP as well as a prominent Jat Sikh face.

"We were approached by the Congress, but there is no difference between Capt Amarinder and the ruling Badal clan. They both have had corruption cases slapped against them at one point of their political career or other. We are self-made people and want to bring prosperity to Punjab with the same conviction," Kaur told TOI. Citing their common surname and his mother's association with the former Patiala with the former Patiala based cricketer, Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh had issued a public statement that he would welcome Sidhu into his party fold.

Navjot Kaur said, "We don't want to sound arrogant, but there's nothing common between us and Capt family. Capt has never spoken against the Akalis in the last 10 years. My husband, despite BJP's alliance with SAD, openly took a stand against the ruling clan on non-completion of 11 projects, including Attari border check post safety scanners,CCTV cameras.Capt has hardly attended Vidhan Sabha sessions or Lok Sabha sessions."

Analysts in Punjab believe that Sidhus had strategically delayed the move to join AAP to avoid a bypoll in Amritsar East constituency, from where Kaur is the sitting MLA.

Kaur debunked this, saying, "Why should I betray people's faith in me... I want work done on sewerage, roads and schools in my constituency." Kaur said she hoped that there would be no political interference in Sidhu's road-rage culpable homicide case pending in the Supreme Court. "He never used force on anyone. He took a conscious stand by resigning as MP."

On video clips of Sidhu attacking Kejriwal during 2015 Delhi polls, Kaur said, "We are not embarrassed about any videos. Sidhu is a man for all seasons. He has been a cricketer... He's committed to his beliefs. He still respects PM Narendra Modi, but not his party anymore. He has even greater respect for Kejriwal for the person he is."