Allies welcome, Awaaz-e-Punjab a forum, not political party: Sidhu

Ending the speculation over whether he would float a new party, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said the forum Awaaz-e-Punjab welcomes any alliance for the betterment of Punjab and will not be a political party.
Targeting ruling Badals and Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh, Sidhu said they shall not confuse the people of Punjab but give them clarity to vote in Punjab’s interest.
“We will not divide the anti-incumbency vote bank, which could indirectly benefit the corroborative and collusive Badal-Amarinder nexus which has plundered Punjab in the last 15 years. This will defeat our purpose of bringing a change for the betterment of Punjab,” he said.
He did not train guns either on BJP, from which he recently resigned, nor Aam Aadmi Party, with which he was earlier in talks. Sacked AAP convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur is all set to launch his own party even as there are three more splinter groups of AAP in Punjab.
Claiming that Awaaz-e-Punjab had had a “rousing” response in Punjab, he said Bains brothers wanted to fight 117 seats in Punjab; so did former hockey captain Pargat Singh, who is an “eternal optimist”. “But I pondered over the fluid political situation in Punjab, weighed the pros and cons and have come to a conclusive decision that we will not play spoilsport and instead facilitate the Punjab election.”
“The minimum time taken by a new party to win a state is almost two years, ample testimony to the fact that three months is too short a time for this herculean task. Our battle is to shake the system that has ruined Punjab,” he said.
“Politics is not a profession but a mission. There is no personal or political vendetta, just a burning desire to place Punjab ahead of us and reinforce the positive forces. May Punjab, Punjabiat and every Punjabi win,” the statement said.