Opinion | It’s time Navjot Singh Sidhu behaved like a responsible politician

Navjot Singh Sidhu

Kamlendra Kanwar

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu has a penchant for controversies. His latest act of hugging Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the oath-taking ceremony of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad has earned him the wrath of many, including his party colleagues.

After facing severe criticism for his actions in Islamabad, including from Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Sidhu has clarified that his gesture was a spontaneous one after Bajwa told him that the Pakistan government was working on opening the Kartarpur Sahib corridor for Sikh pilgrims.

The Ministry of External Affairs is yet to receive any formal request from Pakistan regarding such a proposal. However one thing is clear — Sidhu has no business meddling with the ties between two hostile nuclear powers.

The Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is a site of immense religious significance for the Sikh community for it is here that Guru Nanak spent his last days and died on September 22, 1539. The site located in Pakistan is only a few kilometres from the Indian border. This increases the importance of Sidhu’s statement.

In today’s politics, where there is aggressive competition, Sidhu’s act has been deemed to be one of grave impropriety, and worse. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sees Sindhu’s explanation as a red herring to deflect the criticism he has been receiving for hugging Bajwa.

The charge against Sidhu is that he disrespected the sacrifice of Indian soldiers, and to quote Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman, his act has “demoralised people”. As she put it aptly, it could have best been avoided. However, Sidhu is not willing to acknowledge that he has made a mistake.

Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has claimed that the external affairs minister had reprimanded Sidhu for “misusing the political clearance granted for a private visit by hugging a military chief responsible for killing our soldiers”.

But this is how Sidhu is, a bundle of contradictions — from his tiff with then cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin to his breaking bread with the BJP and then leaving the party to switch loyalties to Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, to his avatar as a commentator and comedian to his elevation as a minister in the Punjab government.

Even as he started his ministerial stint, Sidhu upset many by refusing to quit a comedy show on television he was judging. Many, including from his own ministry, have expressed reservations about this dual role Sidhu plays.

But none of this justifies his latest action. India-Pakistan ties are a very sensitive issue which needs to be handled with diplomatic and bureaucratic finesse, and not in an immature manner Sidhu has done it. It is not for a state minister to take the initiative of having a dialogue, resuming ties, etc. with a neighbouring country — especially if that country is Pakistan.

India-Pakistan ties rest on a sensitive fuse that must not be tested to the indiscretions of individuals. The cavalier attitude adopted by the likes of Sidhu cannot meddle with the issue.

It is time Sidhu learned the intricacies of politics and behaved in a manner that does not disrespect the office he holds. If he refuses to learn, the Congress must take strict action against him.

Kamlendra Kanwar is a senior journalist. Views expressed are personal.