Chandigarh, Aug 21 : Slamming those who criticized him for hugging the Pakistan Army chief, Punjab cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday said that Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa met him barely for a minute before the swearing-in of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"I did not meet him later," he told reporters.

Defending his action, Sidhu also said that his seating at the swearing-in in Islamabad on August 18 was changed at the last minute and he did not know who sat next to him.

Without mincing words, he said his visit to Pakistan was a tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who wanted peace between the two countries.

Sidhu said he received a lot of love and affection in Pakistan and was disappointed by some of the reactions in India. He said he went to Pakistan at the invitation and repeated reminders from Imran Khan.

"Even our government gave permission to me to visit Pakistan. Two days after Pakistan gave him the visa, our External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called me and said that I had been given permission (to go)," Sidhu said.


Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Gobichettipalayam (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): In a historic 10th win, veteran leader K A Sengottaiyan clinched the Gobichettipalayam seat in the 2026 Assembly elections.

Contesting for the first time under actor Vijay’s TVK, the 78-year-old secured approximately 71,380 votes, defeating DMK’s N Nallasivam by a margin of nearly 13,000 votes.

This win marks Sengottaiyan’s 10th consecutive victory in the constituency, cementing his status as an immovable force in the region despite his high-profile exit from the AIADMK in late 2025.

His success was a cornerstone for the TVK, which emerged as a formidable force across the state. Supporters celebrated the win as a testament to Sengottaiyan’s personal influence, which successfully transitioned from his former Dravidian home to the newly formed TVK.