AAP's Bhagwant Mann said there have been no formal talks with Navjot Sidhu. (File)
Amid speculations that Aam Aadmi Party is trying to get Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu's support ahead of Punjab assembly elections in 2020, the party's Punjab chief Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said they have been no "official-level" talks with him.
Mr Mann, however, said the doors of AAP party are open to all those who are willing to work for the welfare of Punjab without any vested interest.
"Nobody can doubt Navjot Sidhu's character. He is an honest man. I have always been his fan from his cricketing days. So far, we have not held any talks with him at the official-level," he said at a press conference in Chandigarh.
When asked whether he wanted Navjot Sidhu to join AAP, Mr Mann said, "We want every person who truly loves Punjab and works for the betterment of the state without any vested interest."
Navjot Sidhu had gone incommunicado after resigning from the state cabinet last year. The Amritsar MLA, who had been at loggerheads with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, was stripped off key portfolios in the cabinet reshuffle in June last year. He had also stayed away from Congress's Delhi assembly election campaign.
About strengthening AAP's base in the state, Mr Mann said, "We will take the party's development model to each home.
"High electricity rates are hurting the people of Punjab. The health and education sectors are also in the doldrums. Underground water is highly polluted. These are the burning issues for the state," he said.