In a blow to India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned from the Rajya Sabha (House of Elders) on Monday, sparking off speculation that he may join the party of Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a bitter critic of Modi. "The people of Punjab are looking for a change," Sidhu told NDTV, an Indian TV channel, just before tendering his resignation. Former cricket player and a senior leader, who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in April this year, was reported to be upset with with the party over the treatment meted out to him ever since he was made to make way for Arun Jaitley in Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. His wife, Navjot Kaur, who is chief parliamentary secretary in Punjab where BJP shares power with the Akali Dal, had created a flutter on April 1 (April Fool's day) announcing her resignation from the BJP. "The burden is over," she had written on her Facebook post on April 1, but after a meeting with top BJP leaders in Delhi, she said, "All is well" and she is very much a part of the BJP in Punjab. Both Sidhu and his wife share an uneasy relationship with the Akali leadership. With speculation rife over the issue, the AAP said in Chandigarh that it would welcome Sidhu with open arms if he joins the party. "If he joins our party, we will welcome him with open arms," the AAP's Sangrur MP, Bhagwant Mann who is also party's campaign committee chairman, said. When asked if Sidhu has approached AAP or vice versa, Mann said that is not the case so far. "He has not got in touch with us nor have we got into touch with him," he said. The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine is staring at perceived anti-incumbency accumulated during the past ten years of its rule in Punjab. Delhi's ruling AAP is trying to make a foray into the state, ramping up its campaign efforts. Sidhu's move came on the day AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal visited the Golden Temple, a famous Sikh shrine. A section of the state BJP believes Sidhu, a prominent face in state politics, is in touch with AAP leaders.
