A day after Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu sparked a major controversy by alleging that becoming Chief Minister in Punjab requires “Rs 500 crore in a suitcase,” the Punjab Congress unit suspended her with immediate effect on Monday. The suspension order offered no explanation, making the timing widely viewed as a direct response to her explosive remarks.
Kaur’s comments, made after meeting Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Saturday, claimed that massive financial influence dictates top political appointments in the party. She stated that she and her husband, former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, “speak only for Punjab” but do not possess the kind of funds she alleged were needed to become CM. According to her, “the one who gives a suitcase of Rs 500 crore becomes the CM,” though she clarified that no one had personally asked them for money.
The statement intensified factional tensions within the Punjab Congress, with Kaur asserting that at least five senior leaders are competing for the Chief Minister’s post and would prevent Sidhu from being projected as the party’s face. She also said Sidhu would return to active politics only if he is officially declared the CM candidate; otherwise, he is satisfied with life outside politics.
The BJP quickly seized on the controversy. Party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi called the remarks proof of “institutionalised corruption” in Congress, claiming that corruption has permeated the party “from leaders to cadres.” Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar echoed the criticism, linking Kaur’s claims to what he called the Congress’s legacy of transactional politics, and cited older allegations that a former chief minister allegedly spent Rs 350 crore to secure the post.
Jakhar simultaneously attacked the AAP government, calling the Punjab Police “uniformed gangsters” and accusing senior officers of extortion. He claimed the state was experiencing a complete breakdown of law and order and urged voters to “give BJP one chance” to restore stability and accountability.
Kaur’s suspension adds another layer to the continued leadership vacuum and infighting within the Punjab Congress, with the episode now escalating into a full-blown political flashpoint ahead of future elections.
