Punjab CM accepts Navjot Singh Sidhu's resignation
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Saturday accepted Navjot Singh Sidhu's resignation, an official said here.
He further said Sidhu's resignation has been forwarded to Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore. The acceptance of the resignation came days after Sidhu resigned from Punjab Cabinet.
Singh, who was in Delhi earlier this week, had said Tuesday he would decide on Sidhu's resignation after going through the contents of the letter once he reached Chandigarh.
The chief minister returned to Chandigarh Wednesday evening.
Sidhu, who had been at loggerheads with the chief minister and was stripped off key portfolios in a cabinet reshuffle on June 6, took to Twitter on Sunday, making public his June 10 resignation letter from the state cabinet addressed to the then Congress president.
Earlier this week, Amarinder had said if the cricketer-turned politician did not want to do his job, there was nothing he could do about it
On July 15, Sidhu said he had sent his resignation letter to Amarinder.
On June 6, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had divested Sidhu of the Local Government and Tourism and Cultural Affairs Departments and allotted him the power and new and renewable energy portfolio.
Ever since the portfolio reshuffle exercise, Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur have been maintaining a distance from the media.
The tension between Singh and his cabinet colleague had come out in the open last month when the CM blamed Sidhu for the "inept handling" of the Local Government Department, claiming that it resulted in "poor performance" of the Congress in urban areas in the Lok Sabha polls.
The cricketer-turned-politician however, had said that his department was being "singled out publicly" while asserting that he could not be taken for granted as he had been a "performer throughout.
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Bondi Beach shooting: EAM Jaishankar speaks to Australia's Wong
New Delhi (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday conveyed to his Australian counterpart Penny Wong India's "fullest support" to Australia in the wake of a deadly shooting incident at the iconic Bondi Beach targeting a Jewish celebration that left 15 people dead.
In a phone conversation with Wong, Jaishankar also condoled the death of innocent people in the attack.
"Just spoke to Australian Foreign Minister @SenatorWong.Conveyed our deepest condolences about the Bondi Beach terrorist attack and offered our fullest support," he said on social media.
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Fifteen people were killed and over 40 others injured in the attack by two gunmen on Sunday, according to Australian authorities.
Hours after the incident, Jaishankar condemned the terror attack.
Condemn in the strongest terms the terror attack on Hanukkah celebrations in Bondi Beach, he said on Sunday.
"Our thoughts are with the victims and their families," he said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as a "dark moment" for the country.
"This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith," he told reporters.
"At this dark moment for our nation, our police and security agencies are working to determine anyone associated with this outrage," he said.
The shooting at Bondi followed a wave of antisemitic attacks in the country.
The attackers were identified as father and son duo of Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram. The father was shot dead by police while the son sustained injuries and he is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the world leaders who condemned the attack.
"Strongly condemn the ghastly terrorist attack carried out today at Bondi Beach, Australia, targeting people celebrating the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah," Modi said on X on Sunday.
"On behalf of the people of India, I extend my sincere condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. We stand in solidarity with the people of Australia in this hour of grief," he said.
The prime minister said India has zero tolerance towards terrorism and supports the fight against all forms of terrorism.
