Two nights and Sidhu is out of prison

Patiala, Jan 13: After spending two nights at the Central Jail here, former BJP MP and the party's star campaigner for the Punjab Assembly elections, Navjot Singh Sidhu walked out of prison on the auspicious occasion of 'Lohri' today predicting that Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh's days in office were numbered.

''With the support of the people, the Chief Minister will be thrown out of office,'' Sidhu declared in his usual flamboyant style after emerging from the main gate of the prison, much to the relief of a large number of his supporters and well wishers, who had gathered outside the jail premises to welcome him.

The release of Sidhu came as a godsent gift for his family on the occasion of 'Lohri'. The family will celebrate the festival together in the evening.

The famous television anchor looked skyward as he stepped out of the prison gates along with Rupinder Singh Sandhu. The two were sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the first week of December in a 19-year-old road rage case.

The Supreme Court had yesterday granted bail to the two in the culpable homicide case, not amounting to murder. Their plea for stay on conviction will come up for hearing in the Apex Court on January 17.

Sidhu and Sandhu were sent to the Patiala jail on Thursday last after the Chandigarh Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) cancelled their bail warrants. They appeared before the CJM on the directions of the High Court.

A large number of BJP supporters waited anxiously for Sidhu's release after his lawyers went inside the jail premises with the necessary orders for the release of the BJP leader and his friend.

As he emerged, they shouted 'Sidhu zindabad' slogans and burst fire crackers.

Soon after coming out of prison, the cricketer-turned-politican drove straight to Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib to thank the Guru for his release. He was presented a 'siropa' (robe of honour) by the gurdwara Head Granthi, Bhai Sukdev Singh. Family members of the former test cricketer, who had resigned his Lok Sabha seat after his conviction by the High Court, also paid obeisance at the shrine. His doctor-wife, Navjot Kaur, son Karan and daughter Rabia were amongst those who paid obeisance.

During his two-night stay in the jail, Sidhu was lodged in the VIP cell in which former Punjab chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Parkash Singh Badal and his MP son Sukhbir Singh Badal, were lodged following their arrest by the Amarinder government in a corruption case. He had taken the normal dal-roti served to all the prisoners.

The release of Sidhu has come as a shot in the arm to the BJP as he is considered as a crowd puller and is very popular in the Amritsar Parliamentary constituency, the seat from where he had resigned after his conviction. The byelection to the Amritsar constituency is also being held with the assembly polls and according to BJP sources, Sidhu may be again fielded from there.

Later talking to mediapersons, Sidhu claimed that the Chief Minister had lost the confidence of people of Punjab. ''I am back for campaigning for the BJP-SAD alliance,'' he added.

He declared that he would not take rest until the Congress regime came to an end in the state. He dared the Chief Minister to enter into an open debate on the issue of development and other related subjects pertaining to his (CMs) five-year rule.

Sidhu's wife, Mrs Navjot Kaur, reacting to her husbands release said, ''God had showered plenty of blessings on my family and hopefully, the almighty will continue to do so''.

''God has given a precious gift on the occasion of 'Lohri' to a daughter and son. We will all spend this evening together,'' she said with relief and joy.

UNI