CHANDIGARH: It’s no longer a war for credit between the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal over the much-anticipated Kartarpur corridor, but within the ruling Congress government in Punjab and its leader Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Hoardings hailing Navjot Singh Sidhu and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan as the as ‘real heroes’ for turning the Kartarpur Corridor project into a reality surfaced in several parts of Amritsar.
The posters were brought down hurriedly.
The hoardings, carrying Sidhu’s picture alongside Khan, read, “The real heroes behind the Kartarpur corridor. We, Punjabis, admit that the credit goes to Navjot Singh Sidhu and Imran Khan because we are not ungrateful.”
Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar said, “I agree that Sidhu was instrumental in getting the project through and his contribution cannot be ignored. But Pakistani Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had told this to Sidhu before Imran Khan was sworn in as PM. So it’s a game plan of Pakistani Army and we need to be cautious,” he said.
Punjab Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa gave credit to Sidhu for the opening of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.
Meanwhile, Sidhu on Wednesday sought permission from the External Affairs Ministry for the second time to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor on November 9.
He said he does not want to go with the 575-member Punjab delegation and that he wants to visit separately.
In a letter to EAM S Jaishankar, Sidhu said he had been invited by the Pakistan government for the opening ceremony, which will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur in Punjab.
“I would first like to meditate at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib (Kartarpur) for the Shukrana (thanksgiving) on Babaji’s glory and grace, have ‘langar’ with Sangat as a humble Sikh, attend the inauguration ceremony and come back by evening through the corridor,” Sidhu wrote.