Navjot Singh Sidhu ‘on The Brink’ of Losing Voice After Intense Campaigning For Assembly Election 2018, Advised Complete Rest For Five Days

Punjab's local government, tourism and cultural affairs minister, who has injured his vocal cords, has left for an undisclosed destination for a complete check-up and recovery, a statement released by Punjab government said.

Chandigarh: Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu is “on the brink” of losing his voice and has been advised ‘complete rest’ for three to five days by doctors. Notably, the Congress leader has been campaigning extensively for the Assembly Election 2018 in four states – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana.

Punjab’s local government, tourism and cultural affairs minister, who has injured his vocal cords, has left for an undisclosed destination for a complete check-up and recovery, a statement released by Punjab government said.

Sidhu was the Congress’ star campaigner and addressed over 70 public meetings in 17 days ahead of elections.

“Mr Navjot Singh Sidhu was on an intensive 17-day election campaign, wherein he addressed more than 70 back-to- back public meetings and the exhaustive schedule has injured his vocal cords. The doctors told him that he was on the brink of losing his voice and therefore they have suggested complete 3 to 5 days rest,” the release said. The release added that the “continuous helicopter and plane travel has been detrimental to his health because of him being on embolism treatment as he had suffered a DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) due to excess air travel some years ago”.

Sidhu has undergone a series of blood tests which require evaluation and has gone to an undisclosed location for a complete check up and recovery, it added. He is being administered specialised medication along with breathing exercises and physiotherapy, it said.

The 55-year-old former cricketer and television personality had in late November attended the ground-breaking ceremony for the Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan on its prime minister Imran Khan’s personal invitation.

The Kartarpur corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur – the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev – with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims.

(Inputs from PTI)