Navjot Singh Sidhu, an outspoken politician, has often targeted PM Modi in his speeches.
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been at the forefront of the opposition's attack on the BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, may have to keep away from campaigning for a while due to damage to his vocal cords. "Mr Sidhu has been placed on steroid medication and injections. He is under medication at the moment, and is hoping to make a quick recovery in order to return to campaigning at the earliest," ANI quoted an official release from his office as saying today.
Despite being an outspoken politician, the Punjab minister has often found himself at risk of damaging his vocal cords due to the sheer effort put into his election campaigns. Even in December last year, doctors had told him to take "complete rest" for nearly a week after headlining over 70 public meetings in 17 days ahead of the assembly elections in five states.
He addressed over 80 rallies over a period of 28 days during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. "Continuous speaking has severely impacted Mr Sidhu's vocal cords to the extent that they bled at times... He consulted physicians early Sunday morning in Chandigarh, who advised two alternatives: A balm coating over his damaged throat, which would prevent him from speaking for four days, or a severe measure of anti-inflammatory injections and steroid medication coupled with complete rest for 48 hours," ANI quoted the release as saying.
The cricketer-turned-politician reportedly chose to go with the harsher treatment, so he could address as many rallies as possible before the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 19. He will address public meetings in Bihar's Patna Sahib on Tuesday, Himachal Pradesh's Paonta Sahib and Nalagarh on Wednesday and various places across Madhya Pradesh on Thursday and Friday.
The cricketer-turned-politician has been hauled up by the Election Commission on several occasions over the last few months, most recently for terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "traitor" at an election rally in Bhopal. Undeterred, Mr Sidhu on Saturday went on to compare PM Modi to a "bride who only pretends to work by jingling her bangles" in a comment that many condemned as "sexist".
(With inputs from ANI)