Sukhbir Badal likens Sidhu to a 'monkey'

Sidhu had last year said Ananpur Sahib's Virasat-e-Khalsa museum on Sikhism set up by the previous Akali regime had turned out to be a "white elephant".

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday lashed out at Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu for allegedly insulting Sikh memorials, and called the cricketer turned politician a "monkey".

"This minister Navjot Singh Sidhu who is like a monkey has insulted the Sikh memorials we built by calling them white elephants. Does he mean 'Virasat-e-Khalsa' which salutes Sikh history is a white elephant?" news agency ANI quoted Badal as saying.

Sidhu had last year said Ananpur Sahib's Virasat-e-Khalsa museum on Sikhism set up by the previous Akali regime had turned out to be a "white elephant", with the government spending Rs 12 crore annually to maintain it.

Citing examples of other museums, Sidhu said such installations need to be self-sufficient so that they continue to be operational for a long time. He had also called for nominal entry fee at the museum, adding no decision had been taken so far.

OneIndia News