"He is an egoistic man," Sukhbir Singh Badal said. (File)
Taking a swipe at Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu who resigned from his post, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday said the former is a "misguided missile" that does not know its destination.
"I had earlier said that Navjot Singh Sidhu is a misguided missile that does not know where it will go or will kill whom. He first destroyed Captain Amarinder Singh by becoming Punjab Congress president. Then, wiped out his party," Mr Badal told mediapersons.
Taking a dig at Mr Sidhu, the SAD leader said that the former should go to Mumbai in order to save Punjab.
"Even I had warned about the kind of person Sidhu is. Every kid in Punjab knows that. He is an egoistic man. If Punjab is to be saved then I request Sidhu Sahib to go to Mumbai," he added.
In a dramatic turn of events in Punjab, state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu tendered his resignation to Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday afternoon.
"The collapse of a man's character stems from the compromise corner, I can never compromise on Punjab's future and the agenda for the welfare of Punjab. Therefore, I hereby resign as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Will continue to serve the Congress," Mr Sidhu said in his resignation letter.
However, sources close to Congress said that Mr Sidhu's resignation has not been accepted. Top leadership has asked the state leadership to resolve the matter at their own level first, they said.
Mr Sidhu was appointed as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) on July 23.
A series of resignations poured in after Mr Sidhu's resignation. A minister and three Congress leaders, considered close to Mr Sidhu, stepped down from their posts delivering a big blow to the Congress high command that was hoping of resolving the tussle between Mr Sidhu and captain Amarinder Singh after Navjot was appointed as Punjab Congress President ahead of the Assembly elections early next year.
Punjab Cabinet Minister Razia Sultana resigned from her ministerial post in "solidarity" with Mr Sidhu.While Gautam Seth resigned as General Secretary (in-charge training) of Punjab Congress, Yoginder Dhingra resigned as General Secretary of the party's state unit. State party treasurer Gulzar Inder Chahal also stepped down from his post.
Mr Sidhu's resignation came just before former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's visit to the national capital, who was visiting Delhi after he resigned on September 18.
The tussle in Punjab Congress escalated after the party's central leadership sought to bury the hatchet by appointing Navjot Singh Sidhu as the Congress chief apparently against the desire of the Chief Minister.