Punjab minister Razia Sultana quits 'in solidarity with Navjot Singh Sidhu'

Razia Sultana resigned as the Punjab Cabinet minister on September 28, just hours after Navjot Singh Sidhu quit as the state Congress chief.

Razia Sultana resigned as the Punjab Cabinet minister on September 28, just hours after Navjot Singh Sidhu quit as the state Congress chief. In her resignation letter to Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Sultana said she is resigning 'in solidarity with Navjot Singh Sidhu'.

Sultana is considered close to Sidhu. Her husband Mohammad Mustafa, who is a former IPS officer, is the principal strategic adviser to Sidhu.

SO PROUD OF MY WIFE RAZIA SULTANA FOR HER PRINCIPLED DECISION TO RESIGN IN THE BEST INTEREST OF CONG AND ITS LEADERSHIP, ON PARTICULAR RAHUL GANDHI, OUR BENEFACTOR pic.twitter.com/XuNZtFyuG5

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— MOHD MUSTAFA, FORMER IPS (@MohdMustafaips) September 28, 2021

Earlier in the day, when Punjab's new Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi allocated portfolios, Sultana was given charge of the water supply and sanitation, social security, women and child development, printing and stationery departments. She used to hold the transport department in the Amarinder Singh-led government.

Much turmoil has been witnessed in the state of Punjab, since former CM Captain Amarinder Singh resigned, months ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the state. Charanjit Singh Channi was then sworn in as the new CM on September 20, making him the first Dalit to hold the top post in the state.

While Sidhu had supported Channi as the chief minister, he is, according to a News 18 report, believed to be upset over the inclusion of MLAs like Aruna Chaudhary in the rejigged Cabinet. He was also disappointed over the non-inclusion of PCC's Scheduled Caste (SC) department head Raj Kunar Chhabewal in the government, the report claimed.

Notably, Sidhu's resignation as PCC chief comes on a day when Amarinder Singh has arrived in Delhi. While speculations are rife about Singh's next political move, his media advisor Raveen Thukral tweeted that the former CM is on a "personal visit" to the national capital.

"He is on a personal visit, during which he’ll meet some friends and also vacate Kapurthala house for the new CM. No need for any unnecessary speculation," Thukral said.