Is Navjot Sidhu’s wife eyeing Patiala LS seat?

Navjot Kaur, the wife of former Punjab Congress chief, Navjot Singh Sidhu, was diagnosed with stage-II invasive breast cancer last year and underwent surgery. She is currently recuperating.

Kaur, who is the “chief medical advisor” and “brand ambassador” of Dr Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal-fame World Cancer Care Charitable Society, said that she has plans to cover all the nine assembly segments in Patiala Parliamentary constituency, and will aim to hold two camps in each segment.

Talking to The Indian Express, Kaur said that the cancer detection she launched on Monday was absolutely “apolitical” and that she plans to cover all 117 constituencies in the state, organising 234 such camps, in the future.

“Patiala is our pilot project,” she said.

Asked if she would contest the Lok Sabha polls as a Congress candidate if the party decides to field her, Kaur said, “As apolitician that was always a possibility”.

Prodded about a possible tie-up with the AAP, which is a member of the INDIA bloc just like the Congress, Kaur said, “As of now, it is not clear whether the Congress will go alone or tie up with the AAP [in Punjab].”

Navjot Kaur, a former MLA from Amritsar East constituency on a BJP ticket, stated that the next screening camp in Patiala district will be set up on November 19. “Subsequently, we will be holding such camps after every fortnight, to cover all nine assembly segments twice.”

She added that out of 950 people examined, at least 80 per cent are suspected to be suffering from some sort of cancer, even as final reports were yet to come.

Kaur said that after the free of cost screening in the camps, the onus was on the ruling AAP government in Punjab to arrange for treatment of those detected with cancer.

Pointing out that while she had roped in as many as 42 NGOs in the exercise, Kaur said, “The state government should reserve Saturday as Cancer Detection Day every week, engage staff and resources.”

Kaur said that she had also recently come across a “worrying” news where cancer patients had to discontinue chemotherapy after being “stripped off” of benefits under Ayushman Health Scheme on the grounds that they had “scooter and cooler”. She also said that the “upper middle class” was also having a tough time opting for cancer testing due to “astronomical costs”.