Navjot Sidhu's obsession with Pakis .. this time Partridge trouble

Experience is the comb that life gives you when you are bald; Age has been the perfect fire extinguisher for flaming youth.;  Beware of the naked man who offers you his shirt.;   Its very difficult to kill a man who is hell bent upon committing suicide!"; No one reads a book to reach the middle - its the end that matters ****  ~ quotes from a Man, who first played in Ahmedabad in 1983, then at Chepauk stadium in Chennai, then had to wait 5 long years for his next of his total of 51 tests.  In all he made 3202 test runs with 9 centuries and 4413 runs in 136 ODIs with 6 centuries.  For statistical reasons, he would well remember that Test in Dec 1983 – his 2^nd – he made 20 – Gavaskar made 236* and Sidhu bowled his only over in International Cricket.

                               Not sure, whether he is intentionally playing – but certainly not playing well – as he gets shrouded in one controversy after the other ..   the present one involving a ‘dead bird’  comes   just days after Sidhu was embroiled in a controversy over raising of “Pakistan Zindabad” slogan at his election campaign rally in Alwar in Rajasthan.

Sidhu had triggered a row during his last two visits to Pakistan – first for the swearing-in ceremony of Imran Khan as country’s Prime Minister and another for the ground-breaking ceremony of Kartarpur Corridor.   During his first  visit in August, he hugged Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Congress leader was clicked alongside pro-Khalistani leader Gopal Chawla. Over both the instances, Sidhu faced criticism and angry reactions in India. Even Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had slammed him for hugging the Pakistan Army chief. Now there is more ..  .. .. not anything from his political opponents, but from his own party at the power in the State as well !

Partridges are medium-sized non-migratory gamebirds, with a wide native distribution throughout the Old World, including Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa. The black partridge (Melanoperdix niger), also known as the black wood partridge, is a small (up to 27 cm long) partridge with a thick bill, grey legs and dark brown iris. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Melanoperdix. The male has entirely glossy black plumage and a black bill, while the female is generally a chestnut-brown bird with a whitish throat and belly and a dark horn-colored bill. The female is smaller than the male. Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size and overhunting in some areas, the black partridge is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Newspaper reports state that a complaint has been filed against former Indian star cricketer and politician Navjot Singh Sidhu after he brought home a stuffed black partridge, gifted during his Pakistan visit, without obtaining the required permit from authorities.  Sandeep Jain, an animal activist, has filed a complaint demanding a probe into how the black partridge was brought from Pakistan and kept in India by Sidhu for so long, NDTV reported.  According to Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), it is illegal to keep a bird or an animal without permission and this rule also applies on animal body parts, ANI, another Indian news agency, reported on Friday.

The bird was reportedly gifted to Indian Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh by Sidhu. “I got to know through newspapers that Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu brought a stuffed Black Partridge from Pakistan and gifted it to Punjab CM. This is in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972,” WCCB volunteer Sandeep Jain said. “I have registered a complaint with Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, New Delhi demanding a probe on how the Black Partridge was brought from Pakistan and kept in Punjab for so long. It’s illegal to keep an animal or a bird or their body parts without any permission,” he added.

Punjab CM Mr Amarinder Singh  had asked Sidhu to reconsider his visit after he criticised Pakistan over the deaths of Indian soldiers in ceasefire violations.  Sidhu seems to be so obsessed with the Govt across the border, heaping praises, visiting it – making gifts and return-gifts ..

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

16^th Dec 2o18.