NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leaders, including several parliamentarians, have  raised objection to Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari giving a hug to former cricketer and Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu in a television show and requested central leadership to take appropriate action against him for  violating the party line.  

While participating in the Kapil Sharma show, Mr Tiwari gave a friendly tight hug to Mr Sidhu and also praised him.  A senior Delhi BJP leader told this newspaper that Mr Tiwari’s  act went against the party line  as the party has been opposing Mr Sidhu ever since he hugged the Pakistan army chief during swearing-in ceremony of Imran Khan as the Prime Minister of the neighbouring country in August last year.

A senior Delhi BJP leader said that Mr Tiwari, being face of party’ state unit, should have avoided doing this on national television as it gave wrong message to workers at ground.

During his Jharkhand visit in August last year, Mr Tiwari had said that the former Test cricketer has disrespected martyrs by sitting beside Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) “president” and hugging Pakistan Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The Bhojpuri singer-turned politician said that Mr Sidhu will have to pay a heavy price for it and demanded his immediate dismissal by Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh from his cabinet.

Several attempts to get Mr Tiwari’s reaction on the development turned futile.