Navjot Singh Sidhu, the head of the Punjab Pradesh Congress, on Saturday called Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan his 'bade bhai' (elder brother) in response to PMU CEO Muhammad Latif's welcome. When Latif told Sidhu he was there on behalf of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Sidhu responded that Khan is like his elder brother.

Sidhu's visit to Kartarpur Sahib comes after new ruckus within Punjab Congress erupted following the exit of Sidhu from Charanjit Singh Channi's delegation of state cabinet ministers that visited the holy place on Thursday.

In Pakistan, the Kartarpur Corridor, which connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district, reopened for devotees on Wednesday.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the corridor was kept under chains for two years. However, on Wednesday, Prime minister Narendra Modi decided to reopen the same for devotees on Prakash Purab.

The 4.7 kms long corridor links Indian border to Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan. It operates on visa free basis and the doors have been open since 2019.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier commended cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu for coordinating efforts to open the corridor to the Sikh pilgrimage site Kartarpur Sahib between Pakistan and India. When Sidhu attended the oath-taking ceremony of Pakistan PM Imran Khan in 2018, Imran Khan and Sidhu's relationship was highlighted.

The politicians of India were not happy with Navjot Singh Sidhu’s comments.

Congress MP Manish Tewari reacted saying- “Imran Khan may be anybody’s elder brother but for India, he is the cat’s paw of the Pakistani deep state that sends arms and narcotics into Punjab through drones and terrorists on a daily basis across LOC in J&K”.

Have we forgotten martyrdom of our soldiers in Poonch so soon, he asked.

Calling it a serious matter of concern for India, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed that there was a larger design at work.

“It is being done for appeasement politics as the Congress still believes that there is a section in India which will be happy with praise for Pakistan. There are no such people in India though,” Patra added.

According to Patra, Punjab is a border state that Pakistan uses to stir up trouble, thereby requiring mature and patriotic leadership. In his view, Sidhu is not the right candidate for India and Punjab is better served by someone else.

BJP IT department head Amit Malviya shared a video of the incident and tweeted, “Rahul Gandhi’s favourite Navjot Singh Sidhu calls Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan his “bada bhai”. The last time he had hugged Gen Bajwa, Pakistan Army’s Chief, heaped praises. Is it any surprise that the Gandhi siblings chose a Pakistan loving Sidhu over veteran Amarinder Singh?

Captain Amarinder Singh has dubbed Sidhu "anti-national" and "incompetent" and promised to oppose his appointment as the chief ministerial candidate for the Congress party.

"He is an element that opposes nationality. He will not be allowed. Sidhu has too many ties with Pakistan," the Captain said, recalling Sidhu's Kartarpur speech in which he praised Imran Khan and his controversial hug to Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Image source: Economic times