BJP leader Navjot Sidhu campaigns for party candidate Vandana Sharma at Safidon, on CHANDIGARH: Six months after his noticeable absence from finance minister Arun Jaitley's Lok Sabha campaign in Amritsar, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, on Tuesday, revved up the poll campaign of the sister of another NDA minister Sushma Swaraj' in the heart of Haryana's Jatland. This is being seen as a resumption of his political innings.The former Test cricketer, who was denied ticket from Amritsar by BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, campaigned for Vandana Sharma, BJP candidate from Safidon seat in Jind district, for three hours.
Switching between an open jeep and public meetings, he took on Indian National Lok Dal (INLD)'s jailed leaders O P Chautala and son Ajay Chautala, allies of Punjab's ruling party Shiromani Akali Dal in Haryana.
"Haryana mai Choudhariya ko raaj raha hai. Unke saamne jo bola, unko thoka. Police boli toh police thoki. MLA bola toh usko thoko. Main kehta hoo, ab thoko nahi inko sirf roko. Guru, ab thoko thali. (Chaudharys have always ruled Haryana. They slammed anyone who opposed them, be it police or MLAs. I urge you not to hit out but to stop them...," he said, making the crowd cheer with his signature one-liners.
Swaraj's eldest brother and Ambala-based ayurveda doctor Dr Gulshan Sharma told TOI that Sidhu was brought to Safidon to woo the sizeable Sikh community.
Navjot Sidhu was absent during Arun Jaitley's Lok Sabha campaigns in Amritsar.
Many, however, see his new role in Haryana as a rehabilitation exercise, particularly after the poll debacle in Punjab, where BJP's ally SAD could manage only four of 10 seats while BJP won two out of three seats.
Sidhu has had a running feud with the SAD in Punjab, and had even threatened to go on a fast in November 2013.
Admitting that Sidhu's absence had hurt the party during the Lok Sabha polls, BJP's Haryana affairs in charge Jagdish Bhola said that former MP was always actively involved in the functioning of the party.
"There is no denying the fact he was upset over being given the Kurukshetra option. But his role in the BJP is as important as it was before. He is indeed a crowd-puller," he said.
Mukhi also said that Sidhu would continue to campaign in constituencies where SAD has fielded candidates - Ambala City and Kalianwali.
The BJP had earlier sent his wife and Punjab chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) Navjot Kaur Sidhu as its star campaigner in Assandh assembly segment where the party has fielded Bakshish Singh Virk.
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