Yes, but youth did win finally as Congress High Command appointed Sidhu is State Congress President, a big indication for Capt Amarinder Singh to announce his retirement. Early next year Punjab Legislative Assembly elections will be held in February or March 2022 the same time as Goa too goes to the polls, to elect 117 members for 16th Assembly. The fight for the top spot in Punjab has begun and the picture is now clear that it is rivalry of the young brigade versus the experience one, and the youth won.
Former Punjab minister Sidhu has been displaying his proximity to younger Congress leaders like Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and has used his social media to flaunt it. At the same time Capt Amarinder Singh was banking on the blessing of Sonia Gandhi and his veteran Congress leader friend like former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat and his legacy of Congress while Sidhu was still considered as an outsider in Congress, given the stint he had with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Sidhu calling names of Rahul Gandhi in the past when he was with BJP and his much publicised hug to General Bajwa of Pakistan soon after the Pulwama attack also did not augur well for his googlies. After 19 years of a cricketing career, Sidhu joined the BJP in 2004 and contested the general election from Amritsar that year. He won the election and held the seat till 2014 winning also the next election. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2016 from Punjab before he resigned from the position the same year and quit the party. In 2017, he joined the Congress and was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Amritsar East. Yet, the last over “sixer Sidhu” delivered.
Rumours were floating galore while the 10 Janpath and the senior Congress leaders are generally not committing anything now keeping the “contesting groups” for leadership totally bewildered. In fact, Sidhu had also showed his softness to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which realising its mistake in past Assembly elections in 2017 has declared that this upcoming election they would have a native person as chief ministerial candidate. In fact, Sidhu on social media has mentioned that “our opposition AAP has always recognised my vision and work for Punjab”. Political pundits were analysing this comment and calling it a veiled threat to the Congress leadership which still seems undecided on this recently developed Punjab quagmire, but all fell flat.
Punjab CM Singh had on Saturday mentioned that he will accept any decision of the Congress High Command on changes in the State unit but, people aware of the situation said, he refused to meet Sidhu unless the latter made a public apology for tweets and statements critical of the State government. The developments suggest the apology may lead to a possible way for the two Punjab leaders to reach a compromise. To bring in the truce between the Amarinder and Sidhu camps the CM suggested a formula that there should be appointment of four working presidents to balance caste and religious equations and had cautioned the central leadership that if Sidhu, a Jat Sikh, is appointed the State unit chief, it could lead to a split in the party, and advocated for a Hindu face for the position. However, the Congress High Command decided that Sidhu will be State Congress Chief of Punjab along with four other interim presidents. In fact Congress at the Centre too has had interim Presidents in the past.
CM Capt Amarinder Singh, who on Friday, wrote a letter to the Congress central leadership warning of a split if Sidhu were to be elevated, it is time to see whether Singh’s comments hold weight. Hectic parleys and meetings are happening in different camps of the Congress as Sidhu sees an opportunity to propel himself in Punjab politics. Will Congress in Punjab split or will Capt Amarinder Singh resign to the fact that “whatever high command decides will be final”.
The turmoil in Punjab Congress is making other prominent political parties in Punjab like Shiromani Akali Dal and the newest entrant AAP happy. APP convenor Arvind Kejriwal is also eyeing an opportunity and space in Punjab. All these political parties were waiting for the decision of the senior Congress leadership in Delhi. The decision has been taken and it is not a pleasant one, it is a matter of time to see Singh’s reactions to the move of the Congress High Command.
