Opposition came down heavily on Navjot Singh Sidhu, newly inducted as the Minister for Tourism and Cultural Affairs in the Punjab government, for deciding to continue being a part of the popular comedy show on TV, The Kapil Sharma Show.
Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, Subhash Sharma, BJP state secretary for Punjab, said: “He should understand the sanctity of the ministerial post. The people of Punjab would not respect him as a Minister if he continues going to a comedy show and keeps laughing there. Also, being a part of the state government, it is unfair to accept money through any other means as this could lead to a conflict of interest.”
The AAP also slammed Sidhu for not taking the people of Punjab “seriously”.
Speaking to this newspaper, Bhagwant Mann, senior leader and AAP Member of Parliament from Punjab said that even he was a comedian, but he left his full-time job to serve the people of Punjab.
“Even I had quit my full-time job of being a comedian despite the fact that it was giving me a lot of money. If he (Sidhu) wants to make money he should not have joined politics,” Mann said.
“Politics is a serious business; Sidhu would be making fun of the people who had voted for him by participating in the comedy show. He has become a minister now and the people want that they should get a minister who would think and work for them. But Sidhu seems to like his laughter show more than the people of Punjab and his ministry,” Mann added
However, Sidhu had said that he would work for the show during the night in Mumbai and return to his Ministry in Punjab in the morning, “even before any one wakes up”.