Amritsar: Cricketer-turned-BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu said despite being part of ruling SAD-BJP alliance in Punjab, he feels he is in the opposition as several developmental works in his constituency have been stalled.
"Being in ruling party in Punjab, I feel that I am sitting in the opposition," Sidhu told reporters here a day after his return to his constituency. He accused the Parkash Singh Badal-led government of stalling developmental projects in his Amritsar constituency, which he represents in Lok Sabha.
"I feel I am MP in the opposition since my all developmental projects for the holy city of Amritsar are badly and wilfully scuttled by the people who are in the power corridor of Punjab. "I have brought major developmental plans for the holy city including multiple flyovers, solid waste management, expansions and renovations of entire sewerage network for Amritsar, widening of narrow roads, renovations of all the Railway over Bridge, but unfortunately all were dashed to the ground and interest of the city inhabitants was badly ignored." Sidhu claimed that the Amritsar Improvement Trust Authority was having several crores of funds and alleged that they were diverted wilfully to other districts of Punjab.
He claimed Amritsar city needed ten times more funds than earlier as it was left behind for several years due to "non developmental attitude of state government." "I begged with folded hands numerous times before the state government to complete developmental projects for the larger interest of city inhabitants," he said.
Last month, Sidhu's wife and sitting BJP MLA Navjot Kaur from East Amritsar, who is also Chief Parliamentary Secretary, had slammed the Badal-led government for alleged lack of development in the state, including in her constituency.
Sidhu said the City Municipal Corporation was severely lacking funds and alleged it did not have "single penny" for development. He claimed that the tourism industry was being crushed by the negligent attitude of state government.
Talking about his nearly year-long absence from his constituency, Sidhu said, "I have to work to earn my livelihood as I do not indulge in ill-practices to earn money. What is wrong if I have done work for TV or Cricket to earn money?" he said.
Sidhu said in the last nine months he has earned Rs 12 crore from TV programmes. "One can easily assess my last nine years income as I have white hard earned money," he said.
When asked whether he will remain in the city if not contest coming general elections in 2014, Sidhu said, "I have committed to remain in Amritsar till I die. I can never think of leaving my people of Amritsar.
Sidhu said he never sought ticket from party to contest election, and it was the party which had chosen him to contest here. "I won the MP seat three times in a row. This time, being an honest soldier of the party, I would never ask high command to give me ticket but certainly follow the directives of party high command," he said.
Next: Sidhu's outburst an internal matter of BJP: Parkash Badal

Sidhu's outburst an internal matter of BJP: Parkash Badal
Kotla Kalan: Hours after an outburst by BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said that the matter was for the cricketer-turned- politician and his party to settle between themselves.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a religious function at a temple here, the Akali Dal leader said, "If at all the MP (Sidhu) has any grouse, then the state BJP leadership should take care of it." 
Flaying the Badal-led SAD-BJP coalition government for wilfully stalling development works in his Amritsar constituency, Sidhu had earlier in the day said that, "Seeing how all development projects in my constituency have been badly and wilfully hit by the Punjab government, I feel like an Opposition MP."
As to a query over the scrapping of the agreement for the construction of the Sri Anandpur Sahib-Naina Devi ropeway by the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government, Badal appealed to his Himachal counterpart Virbhadra Singh to immediately resume the project.
He also offered to bear the entire expenditure of the project, and agreed to initiate the project from HP territory. Replying to another question regarding introduction of an express train service between Nangal in Punjab and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib in Nanded of Maharashtra, Badal said he would take up the issue with the Union Railway Minister.