Sidhu skips Cabinet meet, loses key Punjab ministry
Amritsar, Jun 6 (IBNS): Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has been stripped of a major portfolio in the state hours after the cricketer-turned-politician skipped the second cabinet meeting on Thursday.
He instead carried out a Facebook Live session with the media.
During the session, Sidhu openly said that "he cannot be taken for granted everytime."
This clearly marked the further deteriorating relationship between Sidhu and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Sidhu lost the Local Government portfolio and has been entrusted with the charge of Power and Energy Sources.
The former cricketer missed a second major meet on Thursday since last month's national election.
This is a serious concern for the Congress party, which has fared well in few states including Punjab in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election.
However, the animosity between the two leaders is a clear signal of the divide within the Congress in Punjab.
The two leaders had blamed each other even during the election campaign.
On May 23, Amarinder Singh had said the Congress failed to do well in urban areas of the state because of Sidhu's poor performance.
Singh had also said Sidhu's comments on the Guru Granth Sahib desecration had affected the party's performance in Bathinda.
However, Sidhu said he has been "singled out despite everything being the collective responsibility."
The Congress won eight of 13 Lok Sabha seats from Punjab in 2019.
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