Hours after receiving Congress leader Navjyot Singh Sidhu’s resignation from the Cabinet, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said if Sidhu did not want to do his job, there was nothing he could do about it.

The Minister, who was given the charge of Power Department last month in a Cabinet reshuffle, should have accepted his new portfolio instead of shunning work in the middle of the crucial paddy season, Singh told reporters in Delhi.

The Chief Minister said he was yet to go through Sidhu’s letter, which is not public yet, and would do so once he returns to Chandigarh.

“There has to be some discipline in the government if it is to function effectively,” he added. Sidhu has announced his resignation from the Cabinet, making public his June 10 resignation letter sent to then Congress President Rahul Gandhi. A day after he went public with his decision, he sent the letter to Singh.

The former cricketer resigned in the wake of his continued run-ins with the Chief Minister, who had changed his portfolio from Local Government to Power.

Unhappy, Sidhu did not assume charge of the new department. “I thought power is an important thing for Punjab, so I gave it to Sidhu, but he did not want it. I said that once a decision has been taken, you can’t say I will take this and I will not take that,” the Chief Minister said. “How come 12 other ministers have taken over the job?”

Asked if Sidhu made any attempt at reconciliation, the Chief Minister said there was no need for it. To a question if he was happy that Sidhu resigned, Singh said, “Why should I be happy, I am not happy about anybody leaving.”

“I do not have any issues with him. If Sidhu has any issue with me, you’ll have to ask him about it,” he said.

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