Opinion

Congress in Punjab and the Sidhu factor: What lies in store?

People at the top want a weak Chief Minister who can dance to their tunes. Did Sidhu take a dig at the party top brass with that comment?

If there is someone the Congress leadership would want to stay away from when it comes to the affairs of the party in Punjab, it could be Navjot Singh Sidhu. The chief of the party’s state unit has been proving to be troublesome, and that could be why the high command is bent on seeing current Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister candidate.

Rahul Gandhi is expected to unveil the name of the Congress’s Chief Minister candidate for Punjab very soon when he goes on the campaign trail in the state. Channi and Sidhu are the top contenders and the party had listed only their names for the voters to choose.

It is a fact that Sidhu has been longing to be the Chief Minister of Punjab. When Amarinder Singh quit in September, Sidhu believed that he would be the natural choice, but that failed to happen. Charanjit Singh Channi thus was elevated.

Sidhu finds it tough to control emotions

Now, with the choice of Chief Minister candidate being discussed threadbare, Sidhu seems to be finding it tough to keep emotions in check. At a meeting with supporters, Sidhu blurted out that the “people at the top” want a weak Chief Minister who can dance to their tunes. “If a new Punjab has to be made, it is in the hands of the Chief Minister. You have to choose the Chief Minister this time. People at the top want a weak Chief Minister who can dance to their tunes – ta ta thaiya. Do you want such a Chief Minister?” This is what Sidhu said.

Will Channi be named CM candidate?

One would naturally think that he was alluding to the party bosses, but when such talk surfaced Sidhu immediately changed tack saying that he meant the Central government when he said ‘people at the top’. But then, it is indeed tough to believe so, is it?

All said, it has become almost certain that Channi would edge past Sidhu when it comes to the Chief Minister candidate of the Punjab Congress. That could be why the Congress wants made Channi to contest in two constituencies for the February 20 polls. Where does that leave Sidhu?

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Sanjeev Ramachandran

A journalist with 23 years of experience, Sanjeev has worked with reputed media houses such as Business Standard, The Ne More »
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