Congress leader Navjot Sidhu released from Patiala jail, slams Centre
Patiala, Apr 1: Soon after walking out of the Patiala Central Jail on Saturday, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu slammed the Centre, alleging that democracy is in chains and institutions have turned slaves in the country.
He also claimed that a conspiracy is being hatched to impose the President's Rule in Punjab.
Sidhu described Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as "akhbari mukhmantri" and criticised his government over law and order and debt issues.
Sidhu, who spent about 10 months in jail in connection with a 1988 road rage death case, walked out free on Saturday. The former Punjab Congress president was sent to prison in May 2022 after being sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court over the death of Gurnam Singh, 65.
His lawyer previously said Sidhu was being released earlier because of his good conduct in prison.
"Whenever dictatorship came in the country, a revolution came and today, I say the revolution's name is Rahul Gandhi," Sidhu told reporters who had been waiting outside the jail since morning.
"Debate and dissent are essences of this democracy, but attempts are being made to suppress opposition voice," he added.
He said the Congress is fighting against oppression.
"Today democracy is in chains, there is nothing like democracy today," he alleged.
He claimed that a conspiracy was being hatched to impose President's rule in Punjab.
"Punjab is the shield of this country, attempts are being made to break this shield. A conspiracy is going on to impose President's Rule in Punjab," he claimed.
In an apparent reference to Sikhs, who are a minority community in the country, Sidhu said, "There is a minority rule in Punjab. Wherever the minority is in majority the Centre hatches conspiracy (against it)."
He alleged first a law and order problem is created. "After that, there is an attempt to control it and then they say, we have brought peace," he said.
"If you weaken Punjab, then you will become weak yourself. No government can become strong by weakening Punjab," he said.
Sidhu was wearing a sky-blue jacket when he came out of jail.
There were expectations that he would be released by afternoon but he came out of jail at 5:53 pm.
The 59-year-old's supporters had assembled since morning outside the prison to accord him a grand welcome upon his release and they could be heard chanting 'Navjot Sidhu zindabad'.
Several Congress leaders including Amritsar MP Gurjit Aujla, former Punjab Congress chiefs Shamsher Singh Dullo, Mohinder Singh Kaypee and Lal Singh, former MLA Navtej Singh Cheema, other leaders Ashwani Sekhri, Sukhwinder Singh Danny and worker accorded a warm welcome to Sidhu.
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Tirupati laddu row: Samples of Ayodhya Ram temple 'prasad' sent for testing
Ayodhya, Sep 27: The Food Safety and Drug Administration Department on Friday collected samples of 'elaichi daana' or cardamom seeds being distributed as 'prasad' at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple here and sent them for testing, officials said.
The action was taken following a complaint lodged through the Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS), Assistant Food Commissioner Manik Chand Singh said.
Singh said the samples were procured from Haiderganj, where the cardamom seed offerings are prepared and sent to the Jhansi State Laboratory for comprehensive testing and evaluation.
Prakash Gupta, the officer in charge of the Ram Temple trust, revealed that on average, around 80,000 packets of cardamom seeds are distributed daily as a sacred offering.
Amid a row over the alleged presence of animal fat in laddus at the Tirupati Temple in Andhra Pradesh, the chief priest of the Ram temple here on Thursday questioned the purity of ghee being sold nationwide and said 'prasad' should be prepared under the supervision of temple priests only.
