GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 21

Hours after CM Capt Amarinder Singh sought legal opinion on his minister Navjot Sidhu’s continuity as a celebrity-judge on a popular TV comedy show, the latter’s wife Dr Navjot Sidhu said the ‘office of profit’ clause was not applicable in her husband’s instance but he would abide by the law.She stated that if his TV commitments clashed with Punjab’s interest, he is prepared to quit them, including the famous Kapil Sharma show.After discussing the matter with personalities who were in the entertainment industry before venturing into politics, Navjot had stated that he won’t quit TV.Dr Sidhu said that TV was their only source of earning as of now and he needed hardly five hours a week for the the comedy show.Navjot had already quit 90 per cent of the TV programmes, including the IPL cricket commentary, WWF, and scores of other product endorsements.“If need be, he would quit the remaining 10 per cent TV shows. I fail to understand why the matter was being blown out of proportion. When Chandigarh MP Kiron Kher continued her association with TV shows as a judge, Shatrughan Sinha too had done a movie after becoming an MP, so did Hema Malini. Why the objections on my husband’s commitments,” she questioned.Nonetheless, she had convinced her husband who is now ready to give up his TV career. “Even if Navjot quits the entertainment industry, we can survive on rental income though on a lesser scale sans flamboyance. We have left plum political positions just because it prevented us from working for the interests of Punjab and Punjabiat”, she said.The debate over the new Local Bodies Minister brewed up after Navjot announced that he would continue doing TV shows.Dr Sidhu had defended her husband on her facebook account a few days ago. “Shooting for two shows (of the comedy show) takes only five hours a week and that also mostly on Saturday night. I think it is a meagre time for a non-socially active God-fearing workaholic (sic),” she wrote.However, some reports suggest that the flamboyant commentator and comedy show judge has asked for lighter responsibilities so that he could continue with his professional commitments.

Sidhu will quit show if AG says it’s office of profit: Wife

Amarinder is the boss and the boss is always right. He would be worried as a father figure, which is why he is seeking legal opinion on my participation in a TV show. NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU, local bodies and tourism minister

CHANDIGARH: Reacting to chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh seeking legal opinion on local government and tourism minister Navjot Sidhu’s participation in The Kapil Sharma Show, his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu told a news channel in Chandigarh that the show was their only source of income as Sidhu had left all cricket commentary assignments.

“Yet, if the Punjab advocate general office finds any illegality, he will leave the show. Our daughter is studying in London. We too have expenses to take care of,” said Kaur, who earlier represented Amritsar East segment in the Punjab assembly, now represented by her husband.

Kaur has also courted controversy over attending an official meeting with her husband. She defended it by saying she has been a MLA and knows the problems of urban areas and was only sitting behind Sidhu at the meeting.

Meanwhile, Sidhu said: “Amarinder is the boss and the boss is always right. He would be worried as a father figure. I have left all commentary for the Indian Premier League. I only do one TV show. I have gone through the entire Supreme Court ruling. It clearly states the minister should not be appointed at any other government position, the government should not have a right over his position and remuneration, he performs no function of the government and the government should not have any control over his functions. Where is my TV show in conflict with this rule?”

Sidhu took a flight to Mumbai on Monday evening from Chandigarh, shot for The Kapil Sharma Show and was back in his office at 9.30am on Tuesday.

NOW, GOVT WILL BE GOING TO PEOPLE, SAYS SIDHU

On being asked that a government office is usually full of people seeking services, but his is not, the new local bodies and tourism minister says: “Earlier, people came to the government, but now, the government will go to them.” But how would that happen if cannot be approached directly over a mobile phone?

“I have got three new mobile numbers. I will be getting three new phones too — one for the media, one for MLAs and one for people of my constituency. You will find me sitting in this office from Mondays to Thursdays and in my constituency from Fridays to Saturdays,” he said.