Punjab's interest is paramount, says Navjot Singh Sidhu post resignation

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Navjot Singh Sidhu who resigned from the Rajya Sabha on 18 July said his nomination in the Upper House was a mere burden, adding that the purpose behind it stood defeated now.

In a statement released today, Sidhu said, "At the behest of the hon'ble Prime Minister, I had accepted the Rajya Sabha nomination for the welfare of Punjab. With the closure of every window leading to Punjab, the purpose satnds defeated. It is now a mere burden. I prefer not to carry it. In the war of right or wrong, you can not afford to be neutral rather than being self centered. Punjab's interest is paramount."

Signaling major developments ahead of the assembly polls in Punjab, Sidhu earlier today tendered his resignation from the Upper House.

According to reports, Sidhu might join the Aam Admi Party in Punjab.

The former cricketer, who was thrice the Lok Sabha member from the BJP, was asked to step away from contesting the polls in Amritsar during the 2014 general elections to make way for the fellow member Arun Jaitley.

Jaitley, however, lost the election to Congress leader Amrinder Singh.

On April, this year, Sidhu was nominated as the Rajya Sabha MP after reports emerged that he was joing the AAP, which has been campaigning aggressively for the Punjab assembly elections.

--ANI