Twist given to straight comment, says Navjot Kaur Sidhu after controversy over her 'Rs 500 crore' remark

Chandigarh: Amid a political row over her 'Rs 500 crore for chief minister's chair' remark, Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu has said a twist was given to her "straight comment".

"I am shocked to see the twist given to a straight comment saying that our Congress party has never demanded anything from us. On being asked about Navjot becoming a CM face from any other party, I stated that we have no money to offer for a CM post," Kaur said in a post on X on Sunday evening.

Former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu had triggered a row on Saturday by claiming that "one who gives a suitcase of Rs 500 crore becomes the CM".

Speaking to reporters, Navjot Kaur Sidhu had said her husband will return to active politics if the Congress declares him as the party's chief ministerial face in Punjab.

She further said they do not have money to give to any party but can transform Punjab into a "golden state".

"We always speak for Punjab and Punjabiyat...but do not have Rs 500 crore which we can give to sit in chief minister's chair," she told reporters on Saturday after meeting Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on issues, including alleged deteriorating law and order in the state.

When asked if anybody demanded money from them, she said nobody has demanded but the "one who gives a suitcase of Rs 500 crore he becomes the CM".

Following her statement, the BJP and AAP claimed that her comments exposed the "ugly truth" of how the grand old party functions, and the "money bag politics" it indulges in.

Reacting to Navjot Kaur's remarks, AAP Punjab general secretary Baltej Pannu on Sunday said they have exposed the "ugly truth" of how the Congress functions, how its leadership is decided, and how Punjab's interests are sidelined for personal ambitions and monetary deals.

Navjot Kaur Sidhu made two explosive claims that Navjot Singh Sidhu will re-enter Punjab politics only if Congress declares him as its chief ministerial face, and that the Sidhus do not have Rs 500 crore to pay, implying that becoming a chief minister in the Congress requires a Rs 500 crore deal, Pannu had said.

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh had said Navjot Kaur has exposed the politics of money bags in the Congress by publicly stating that the chief minister's chair in Punjab costs Rs 500 crore, which her husband Navjot Singh Sidhu cannot pay.

In a statement, Chugh had said, "When the wife of a senior Congress leader herself admits that the chief minister's position can be purchased through financial deals, it demonstrates a complete moral collapse in the party led by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.