New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS): A day after his formal induction into the party, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu termed his joining the Congress as his "homecoming" and launched a broadside against Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

"I am a born Congressman. This is a homecoming for me," Sidhu said.

"This (election) is a fight for Punjab's existence, its self-respect.... Punjab which was once known for Green Revolution, now is notorious for 'chitta' (a lethal synthetic drug popular among the youths of the state).

"Akali Dal too started as a 'jamaat' (gathering of pure) but now has turned into a private property," he said.

He said that his father too was a Congressman, and waged the freedom struggle as a member of Kirti Ghadar Party.

Sidhu is expected to contest the February 4 Punjab assembly election from Amritsar East, part of the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency which he represented for the Bharatiya Janata Party from 2004 to 2014.