Sidhu demands full decision power as his advisor quits Congress over controversial remark

Chandigarh: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu on Friday declared that he "will not spare anyone" if he is not given freedom in decision-making. The declaration comes a day after the party threatened to dismiss Malvinder Singh Mali, Sidhu's adviser over his controversial remarks on Pakistan and Kashmir.

"Nahin toh eit se eit bajaa doon, (I will not spare anyone)," Sidhu was quoted as saying in NDTV report.

Sidhu, who was recently appointed the party's Punjab chief in a tense compromise with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said that he has asked the high command to allow him to take decisions. He also assured that Congress will prosper in the state in the next two decades.

Meanwhile, Congress's Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat reacted cautiously to Sidhu's statement saying that he will see the context of the statement adding that he cannot question Sidhu on the basis of media speculation.

Mr Rawat also added that Sidhu is party chief and none other than he can take decisions.

Earlier on Wednesday, Rawat told NDTV that the party has asked Sidhu to dismiss Mali. " If Sidhu does not do that, I will. We do not want people who embarrass the party," Rawat told NDTV.

In an interesting turn of events, Malvinder Singh Mali on Friday quit as Sidhu's adviser. Mali also blamed anti-Sikh forces for targeting him and derailing the Punjab model, citing them as reasons for his quitting as an adviser to Sidhu.

"Punjab, Punjabi Community cooperation, and anti-Sikh forces, that do not tolerate the emerging Punjab model... have a nefarious design to derail the dialogue that has started taking shape and to push me to jump into the struggle with tied hands, which is not acceptable to me and rejecting the same I humbly submit that I withdraw my consent given for tendering suggestions to Navjot Singh Sidhu," Mali said in a statement on Facebook.

Putting a lid on the controversy, Congress Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat said the remarks have been disowned by the adviser and the matter ends there.

"I will meet Rahul Ji tomorrow...He (Navjot Singh Sidhu's adviser) has disowned his remark on Pakistan and Kashmir, so the matter ends there," said Harish Rawat.

It was last week, Mali through his Facebook posts suggested that both India and Pakistan were illegal occupants in Kashmir. In another post, he wrote on the Taliban: "Now it is their responsibility to protect Sikhs and Hindus. They will rule to improve the condition of the country, not like before."