Navjot Sidhu from prison, has a ‘Rahul Gandhi Revolution’ message for BJP

Patiala:

Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu walked out of jail on Saturday, 10 months after he was jailed in a street rage case that killed a man 34 years ago.

After being released from prison in Patiala, Punjab, Mr. Sidhu went straight to work.

“Democracy is in chains,” he said, with an apparent jab at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Punjab is the shield of this country. When dictatorship came to this country, so did a revolution led by Rahul Gandhi,” Mr Sidhu said.

He claimed the center wanted to impose presidential rule in the state where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a bitter rival of the BJP, is in power. His comments come amid the search for radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, whose private militia has been accused of trying to stir up unrest and disrupt law and order in Punjab.

“There is a conspiracy to impose presidential rule in Punjab. They are trying to weaken Punjab. I stand like a wall next to Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and every Congress staffer,” said Mr. Sidhu.

“I want to ask my little brother (Chief Minister and AAP leader) Bhagwant Mann. Why have you deceived the people of Punjab? You made big promises, cracked jokes. But you are prime minister today only on paper,” said Mr Sidhu, who was released from prison on Saturday more than eight hours later than planned. He claimed the government wanted the media to leave before releasing him.

The Supreme Court last May ordered a one-year “rigorous prison sentence” for Mr Sidhu, who had by then resigned as leader of the Punjab Congress following his party’s defeat in the state elections.

The court ruling came at the request of the family of the man, who died in 1988 after an argument with Mr Sidhu and his friend. The family had sought a review of a 2018 Supreme Court order clearing him of the murder.