Punjab Congress has been surrounded with controversies ever since the high command inducted Navjot Singh Sidhu as PPCC Chief to belittle Amarinder Singh, the former Chief Minister of Punjab. In the latest development, Sidhu has stepped down as the State President while Amarinder walked off from the Congress to float his new party, as earlier predicted by TFI. However, the real reason behind Sidhu’s resignation from the party has been revealed by the party itself.
While the Amarinder Singh-led faction in the Congress was too strong for the Gandhis to exercise absolute power on, Navjot Singh Sidhu came in as an ambitious leader who could help destabilise Amarinder Singh’s reign and weaken the former Chief Minister. But soon after a discontented Amarinder Singh pulled out of the equation, Navjot Singh Sidhu found himself losing opportunities he had helped create. The top-brass elevated the lesser-known Charanjit Singh Channi to the position of Chief Minister and left the ambitious, aggressive and confrontational Navjot Singh Sidhu empty-handed. The less tameable and self-serving Sidhu seems to have been undercut by the Gandhis once they had their needs met.
Sidhu was sidelined to retain Channi
When Rahul Gandhi visited the Lakhimpur Kheri district to bake his political bread on funeral pyres after the clash between a mob of protesters and a BJP minister’s convoy created a ruckus that led to the death of nine people, Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi along with Chhattisgarh CM Bhupendra Baghel also accompanied him. Channi, who was once considered as Sidhu’s Man Friday is now being involved in major events to sideline Sidhu. Thus, it can be assumed that Sidhu is rebuffed as he has been sidelined by the high command to retain Charanjit Singh Channi, the newly inducted Chief Minister of Punjab.
Sidhu and Channi are at loggerheads with each other
Channi and Sidhu, who were once close aides, are now at loggerheads with each other as both were battling for their ministers to be inducted in the recent cabinet expansion. With Channi inducted as Chief Minister, Sidhu was daydreaming of ruling Punjab. However, Channi refused to be Sidhu’s puppet.
As per the sources, Sidhu was upset with Channi and the party over the appointment of Rana Gurjit Singh as the cabinet minister. He was also against the induction of APS Deol as Advocate General. On the contrary, he wanted Deepinder Singh Patwalia to be appointed as a cabinet minister. Additionally, Sidhu was also opposing the allocation of the Home portfolio to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
Thus, just a day after, 15 Congress MLAs were sworn in as Ministers in Charanjit Singh Channi’s government, Sidhu stepped down as PPCC Chief.
Read more: Channi does a Katappa to self-styled Bahubali Sidhu
Sidhu, a non-performing asset
The Congress high command inducted Sidhu into Punjab politics to counter Captain Amarinder Singh. Soon after Amarinder Singh stepped down from the post of Chief Minister in the aftermath of humiliation, the Congress party began to corner Sidhu. Following the negligible political acumen and gimmicks of Sidhu, the high command rebuffed him to retain Channi.
Read more: Congress Punjab topples like a house of cards
Given the toppling of the Punjab Congress, the Congress party, bereft of strong solutions, is heading towards a huge failure ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections. As a consequence, the opposition parties including BJP will surely be benefitted.
