Navjot Sidhu's advisers do not consider J&K part of India: Congress MP Manish Tewari

Congress leader Manish Tewari has urged Punjab Congress to introspect whether those who do not consider J&K to be a part of India should be in the party or not.

The Member of Parliament (MP) and former Union Minister from Punjab was referring to remarks of two advisers of Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Pakistan and Kashmir.

I urge @harishrawatcmuk AICC Gen Secy I/C Punjab to seriously introspect that those who do not consider J&K to be a part of India & others who have ostensibly Pro Pakistan leanings should be a part of @INCPunjab It mocks all those who shed blood for India.https://t.co/j6hDuZ35ci

— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) August 23, 2021

"I urge Harish Rawat, AICC general secretary and incharge Punjab to seriously introspect that those who do not consider J&K to be a part of India & others who have ostensibly Pro Pakistan leanings should be a part of Punjab Congress. It mocks all those who shed blood for India,” Tewari said in a tweet on August 23 sharing a report about Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh taking strong exception to the recent statements of two of Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu's advisors on sensitive national issues like Kashmir and Pakistan.

The objections by the CM and Manish Tewari relate to the reported remarks of Dr Pyare Lal Garg questioning CM’s criticism of Pakistan and an earlier controversial statement of Malwinder Singh Mali on Kashmir. Both Lal and Mali were recently appointed by Sidhu as his advisers.

The Chief Minister has reportedly urged Sidhu's advisors to stick to giving advice to the state Congress president and not speak on matters of which they clearly had little or no knowledge, and had no understanding of the implications of their comments.

"Do such people even have the right to live in the country, forget about being in the Party?” Tewari asked.

#WATCH "Do such people even have the right to live in the country, forget about being in the Party?, asks Congress leader Manish Tewari on Punjab Congress Chief Navjot S Sidhu's advisors Pyare Lal Garg's and Malwinder Singh Mali's comments on Pakistan and Kashmir pic.twitter.com/QsCt9BV9Vh — ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2021

The CM urged the Punjab Congress president to rein in his advisors before they end up doing more damage to India's interests.

"Kashmir was and is an inalienable part of India," he said. In a recent social media post, Mali had commented on abrogation of Article 370 saying that if Kashmir was part of India, then what was the need to abrogate the special status.

Sidhu was made Punjab Congress president last month in a bid to resolve the infighting in the state unit of the party ahead of assembly elections in 2022. Cricketer-turned-politician, Sidhu, has been at the centre of a raging rebellion in the ruling Punjab Congress against Captain Singh.

Meanwhile, Sidhu has summoned both the advisers to discuss their recent comments on Pakistan and Kashmir.

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu summons both his advisors Malwinder Singh Mali and Dr Pyare Lal Garg to his Patiala residence to discuss their recent comments on Pakistan, Kashmir and the controversial sketch of late PM Indira Gandhi posted by one of them on social media pic.twitter.com/j3jPhmIMOo — ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2021