Navjot Singh Sidhu's curtain call: Resigns from Punjab Cabinet

Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday tweeted a resignation letter dated July 10 that he had sent to Rahul Gandhi wherein the Congress leader said he is resigning from the Punjab Cabinet.

Sidhu addressed the letter to Rahul and wrote that he is resigning but did not mention any reason. He added that he will be sending a copy of the letter to Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh as well.

The cricketer-turned-politician has been an extremely controversial figure with political rivals repeatedly slamming him over a number of flip-flops. His visits to Pakistan — first at the swearing-in ceremony of Imran Khan and then for the ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone for the Kartarpur Corridor — were also called into questioned.

More recently, he had been sparring with Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh who had clipped his wings in last month's cabinet reshuffle where Sidhu was stripped of the Local Government and Tourism and Cultural Affairs portfolios and instead given Power, and New and Renewable Energy departments. He has since refused to assume office, triggering backlash from the opposition, with the BJP even writing to the state governor, asking for action against the minister.

After the news of the resignation, some of his ministerial colleagues said it's a "drama" by the "king of theatrics" and urged him to show more dignity in his actions. Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) too termed the resignation a "drama", while its ally BJP asked the CM to dismiss him immediately.

— Zee Media Newsroom

with inputs from agencies