Rs 500 crore remark: Dy CM Shivakumar asks Navjot Kaur Sidhu to get admitted to 'mental hospital'
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday advised Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu to get admitted in a mental health facility for her "Rs 500 crore for CM post" remark.
Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, had triggered a row on Saturday by claiming that "one who gives a suitcase of Rs 500 crore becomes the Chief Minister," drawing strong response from the BJP and AAP over Congress' functioning.
Responding to her remark, Shivakumar, also state Congress president, said, "let her be admitted to a hospital, some good mental hospital."
Sidhu had said her husband will return to active politics if the Congress declares him as the party's chief ministerial face in Punjab, ahead of the 2027 polls there.
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She further said they do not have money to give to any party but can transform Punjab into a 'golden state'.
"We always speak for Punjab and Punjabiyat...but do not have Rs 500 crore which we can give to sit in chief minister's chair," she told reporters on Saturday after meeting Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on issues, including alleged deterioration of law and order in the state.
When asked if anybody demanded money from them, she said that was not the case but that the "one who gives a suitcase of Rs 500 crore he becomes the CM".
She later claimed that a twist was given to her straight comment.
"I am shocked to see the twist given to a straight comment saying that our Congress party has never demanded anything from us. On being asked about Navjot becoming a CM face from any other party, I stated that we have no money to offer for a CM post," Kaur said in a post on X on Sunday evening.
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Former India hockey coach Michael Nobbs dies
Melbourne (PTI): Former Australian hockey player Michael Nobbs, who coached the Indian men's team at the 2012 London Olympics, has died after a prolonged illness.
He was 72 years old and is survived by his wife Lee Capes, a former Australian women's international and daughter Kaitlin, who is a current Hockeyroos star.
"Hockey Australia extends its deepest condolences to Michael’s family, friends, former teammates, players and all those whose lives and careers were shaped by his contribution to hockey. He will be remembered as a proud Kookaburra, a respected professional, and a servant of the sport," Hockey Australia said in a statement.
Nobbs represented Australia as a defender, playing across the half-back line and at fullback, and was renowned for his reliability, fitness and professionalism. He earned 76 international caps for Australia between 1979 and 1985, scoring one goal, and was a member of one of the strongest eras in Australian men’s hockey, said Hockey Australia on its website in its tribute.
Nobbs was an integral part of the Australian teams that competed at the 1981 Hockey World Cup in Bombay and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
While part of a generation widely regarded as one of Australia’s finest, he consistently held his place through hard work, discipline and trust earned from teammates and coaches, Hockey Australia wrote.
Nobbs took over the coaching of the Indian men's team in 2011 after it had failed to qualify for the Beijing Games in 2008. While India were brilliant in the qualifiers, the team finished last at the London extravaganza which also expedited the Australian coach's sacking.
Apart from India, Nobbs also coached Japan.
