After Sidhu’s Ultimatum To Punjab Congress, Top Lawyer Attacks

Chandigarh : Senior advocate APS Deol, who recently resigned as Punjab Advocate General, on Saturday hit back at state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, accusing him of obstructing the functioning of the state government.

This comes a day after Sidhu said that he will assume the state Congress chief’s charge the day Punjab will get a new Advocate General.

Sidhu had earlier expressed his reservations over the appointment of the senior advocate as the state’s advocate general for representing two accused police officials in the 2015 sacrilege and police firing case.

“Navjot Singh Sidhu is obstructing the functioning of the government and the office of AG,” Deol said in a statement.

Deol, who stepped down as Punjab ADG on November 1, further said that Sidhu is spreading misinformation to gain political advantage over his political colleagues.

“There is a concerted attempt by vested interests to malign the functioning of Congress party in view of upcoming elections in Punjab for their selfish political gain by politicising the constitutional office of the Advocate General of Punjab,” Deol said.

“Navjot Singh Sidhu’s repeated utterances seek to derail the earnest efforts of the State government to ensure justice in the drugs matter and the sacrilege cases,” he added.

Deol had represented former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, who headed the state police six years ago during the incidents of sacrilege and police firing on protesters.

Yesterday Mr Sidhu told reporters he would withdraw his resignation as chief of the Congress’ Punjab unit – he quit in September, a move that shocked the Congress after it supported him in his bitter feud Amarinder Singh – but only if Chief Minister Charanjit Channi accepted APS Deol’s resignation.

“I have taken back my resignation… When a new Advocate General is appointed, I will take charge,” he declared, throwing down a fresh ultimatum.

On Tuesday, sources said Mr Channi refused to accept Mr Deol’s resignation – a move seen as a firm signal to Mr Sidhu that it the Chief Minister, and not the MLA, who was in charge of the government.

A source told NDTV “Mr Sidhu’s speech attacking the state government is said to be the reason” and, predictably, that infuriated Mr Sidhu even more.

“How can a lawyer who got bail for Sumedh Saini be Advocate General and a person like IPS Sahota (Punjab’s police chief, Iqbal Singh Sahota was the head of a SIT, formed by the then Akali Dal government, that investigated the sacrilege case) be the DGP,” he fumed yesterday.

Mr Sidhu resigned as Punjab Congress chief in a huff over Mr Deol and Mr Sahota’s appointments, exacerbating the party’s leadership crisis in a state that votes next year.