Chandigarh, April 8 Former Punjab MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who joined the Bharatiya Rashtrawadi Party (BRP), claimed on Wednesday that her husband, Navjot Singh Sidhu, was not involved in any political party.
Outlining a plan for Punjab, the former Congress leader told reporters here that the BRP would contest the 2027 state assembly elections. She also suggested cultivating opium if her party formed the government after the next elections.
Kaur, who was expelled from the Congress about two months ago, announced joining the BRP on Monday night to "lead Punjab to regain its lost glory as a golden state".
She said her husband, former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, was not involved in politics. Responding to a question, she said her husband would have no role in her party's future government.
Asked whether her husband was still a member of the Congress, she said he was not in any party.
"He was not invited after 2022 (Punjab assembly elections). If he had been involved, he could have been invited to any meeting," she said.
Asked whether Sidhu would have any role in the upcoming 2027 elections, she said she did not know.
"He is working for four days a week and earning Rs 15 lakh every day," she said.
Responding to another question, she said Sidhu was not involved in politics.
Former Punjab Congress chief Sidhu has not been participating in the party's events and activities for the past many months. He also did not campaign in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Last April, Sidhu launched his new YouTube channel, 'Navjot Sidhu Official', to share his life experiences, talk about cricket, provide commentary, and offer motivational talks and lifestyle advice.
Kaur had been an MLA on a BJP ticket from the Amritsar East seat in 2012. She had also served as the chief parliamentary secretary (health).
She joined the Congress along with her husband ahead of the 2017 Punjab assembly elections.
Kaur told reporters here that the BRP was not a new party, adding that it was registered in June 2015. The party has forums in other states, she said, adding that it did not have a strong presence in Punjab.
BRP president Amlan Biswas approached her and appointed her as the party's in-charge for Punjab, she said.
Kaur said she had the support of NRIs in several countries, including the US, Canada, Italy, Australia, and England, and they had assured her that they would support party candidates in the 2027 assembly elections.
Sharing details about her party's agenda for the Punjab assembly elections, she said they would work on attracting investments in the state if the party formed the government.
"We will give the portfolio of the agriculture department to someone who has proper knowledge about it. The education department will be given to someone who can improve this sector," she said.
A monitoring committee will also be formed, and no minister can sign any file until it gets approval, Kaur said.
"Our objective is to turn Punjab into a golden state," she said.
On the agricultural front, she said her party would allow opium cultivation in the state.
To wean people away from drugs, the only solution is opium, she noted, adding that it would be under government control.
Kaur spoke about the marketing of crops grown in the state.
"We have a plan on how to make farmers 'lakhpati' and 'crorepati'," she claimed.
It will be the government's responsibility to ensure jobs for youth after they complete their education, she said.