In a rare display of bonhomie after years of open rivalry, senior Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia hugged each other Thursday at an event that saw the state’s Opposition parties rally together to protest a Punjab Vigilance Bureau probe against the editor-in-chief of the Ajit newspaper. The Sidhu-Majithia hug came as a surprise to many, as their frosty relationship can be traced back to their differences during the SAD-BJP alliance government (2007 to 2012) in the state. The leaders, who had once shared a cordial relationship, would since then go after each other, which often resulted in bitter spats. But their mood on Thursday was different. In his address to the gathering, Sidhu pointed towards Majithia before saying that “Aaj toh yaari ho gayi (We have become friends today).” Sidhu added that “there should be a room to exchange pleasantries [with even rivals] during public events” despite “ideological differences”. On Friday, Majithia extended his support to Sidhu’s wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. “Wishing @DrDrnavjotsidhu ji a speedy recovery from cancer. May Waheguru grant her the strength to overcome this terrible disease as no one can replace a mother, the pillar of strength in each family. Our prayers are always with her and the family,” he tweeted. Speaking to The Indian Express, Majithia said: “We remained very close to each other. The fact of the matter is that we supported each other politically. Yes, issues cropped up…but as mature people, and for the larger good of Punjab, we have come together and have buried the differences. There is one life to live and it is a short life…Politics is not about enmity; politics is about issues.” “From my side, the friendship will continue. A gesture has been made and I will reciprocate. He extended his love and respect, it is my duty to give it back. I wish his children a lot of love and a lot of success in life and that they make us proud,” he added. Sidhu was not available for comment. The AAP had swept the 2022 Assembly polls, routing the then incumbent Congress and pushing the Akali Dal to the margins by winning 92 seats in the 117-member House. How the relationship between Sidhu and Majithia will unfold in the larger context of Opposition unity in the state remains to be seen. But it has also raised eyebrows in their political circles. After Thursday’s event, the Congress’s Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu tweeted alongside a picture of the two leaders: "Sheer political opportunism. When both political opponents fail to deliver then they plan to dodge the public by their scripted actions. These lines are apt for this pic: ‘Politics is not a dirty game but many politicians play it dirtily’.” The Sidhu-Majithia saga goes a long way. After getting elected as an MP for the first time on the BJP’s ticket in 2004 from Amritsar, Sidhu had distributed funds for the Majitha constituency from where Majithia started his political innings in 2005. Sidhu had also campaigned for Majithia during the 2007 elections when the latter became MLA for the first time. In the same year, Sidhu became the BJP MP for the second time in a row after winning a by-election. However, differences started surfacing between the Akali Dal leader and Sidhu over various issues during the SAD-BJP rule between 2007-12, particularly after the 2009 parliamentary elections. The minor rows turned into a tussle that later snowballed into a full-blown personal rivalry. With the SAD-BJP coalition again forming its government in the state in 2012, the differences between Sidhu and Majithia intensified. In public appearances, Sidhu would often retort that while the world knew him (as a cricketer), “nobody would know Majithia if he crossed Ambala”. Majithia would often bring up the “Thokho Thaali (hit the applause)” remark that Sidhu was known for during his stint with a popular TV comedy show. Sidhu would also say that Majithia was active politically as he was the brother-in-law of Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal. Majithia would say Sidhu (who joined the Congress in 2017) was a “party hopper”. The duo also had frequent run-ins in the Punjab Assembly, with Sidhu targeting Majithia on the issue of drugs in the state, saying that he would send him to jail. In a TV appearance in 2022, Majithia called Sidhu a “joker”. In last year’s Assembly polls, Majithia took on Sidhu in the latter’s Amritsar East seat. The AAP’s Jeevan Jyot Kaur however ended up defeating Sidhu by over 7,000 votes.
