Monday Post

Following years and months of a bitter duel with present Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, Capt Amarinder Singh resigned as CM of Punjab and raised some serious questions against Sidhu alleging he was incompetent, has connections with Pakistan PM Imran Khan and Army Chief Gen Bajwa, and this will lead to disaster for the state.

This feud is going on between them, from the day Sidhu was inducted into Congress from BJP. Let us see some chronological incidents which enhanced this feud:

• August 2018-Amarinder Singh slammed Sidhu for hugging Pakistani Chief Bajwa, when he was in Pakistan to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Imran Khan as PM of Pakistan. After coming back Sidhu justifying his hug, saying he was hurt by the comments of Amarinder Singh.
• November 2018- Capt. Amarinder Singh said “ I had told Sidhu not to visit Pakistan. He did not update me about his trip to Lahore. I had declined Pakistan’s invite in view of terror attack and killing of our soldiers in J & K”. Sidhu responded by saying “ Which Capt.? He is Captain of the Indian army..but my captain is Rahul Gandhi. It is he who sent me to Pakistan.
• May 2019- Sidhu hit out alleging Capt Amarinder Singh had a soft corner towards Badals, the political rivals from Akali Dal. He raised the issue of the firing incident in 2015 and said why Amarinder Singh is not taken action against Akali Dal.
• Following a reshuffle of portfolios, Sidhu resigned from cabinet and said he was only singles out despite his performance ad none of the ministers whose performance was average were questioned.
• July 2019- Capt. said, “ There should be discipline, he can not refuse portfolio which was changed after his performance. was measured”. Two leaders hit out at one another with Sidhu saying the election promises made by Congress in 2017 were not fulfilled by Amarinder Singh govt.
• April 2021- Amarinder Singh attacked Sidhu daring him to an electoral contest from Patiala (both are from Patiala), and said Sidhu would lose his deposit in the contest
• Sidhu in a fresh outburst returns the favourite jibe” big boast, small roast” at Amarinder Singh. He further added that Amarinder Singh was not the Congress party to close the doors on him.

However Amarinder Singh, however, believed to have told the Congress High Command that Sidhu had ‘ crossed the limit’ and demanded action against him.

• Just a couple of months ago Sidhu was appointed state Congress president, notwithstanding opposition from Amarinder Singh. Sidhu challenged Amarinder Singh to scrap the three farm laws otherwise it will be done by Congress MLAs.
• Newly appointed Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in July met Captain Amarinder Singh. The meeting between the two leaders was seen as a signal of a truce in the dissension-driven party months ahead of the next year’s Assembly polls.
• Sidhu handed over a letter to then CM Amarinder Singh urging him to take immediate action over five key issues. “Today, Punjab need a stern, decisive, inclusive, and compassionate leadership more than ever before to fulfil genuine demands of every Punjabi,” the letter stated.
• In August, Amarinder Singh warned two of Navjot Sidhu’s advisors against atrocious & ill-conceived comments on issues like Kashmir and Pakistan. He said that these comments were “potentially dangerous to the peace and stability of the state and the country”. Later, his advisors were suspended by the party.
• Last month in August, Sidhu during an event in Amritsar said that he has told the party high command in Delhi that if he is not allowed to take decisions, ‘he won’t spare anyone. “Eent se eent baja dunga,” Sidhu was heard saying in a video.

In the end, on 18 September Amarinder Singh resigned as CM of Punjab with state assembly just five months away.

Actually, Sidhu was hoping that Congress high command will nominate him as CM, but to his great surprise it did not happen, instead, Charanjeet Singh Channi was chosen as CM. Channi, a minister in the outgoing cabinet, is supposedly close to Sidhu.

I do not understand why the Congress High command started backing Sidhu if they are thinking Sidhu will be able to attract voters and they will listen to him and cast their votes in favour of Congress candidate in the incoming state election. But the fact is that Sidhu is only a jovial speaker and his knowledge about polity is very poor. Another fact is that Congress high command has used Sidhu against Amarinder because Gandhis were feeling very bad after the last elections where Amarinder Singh refused to listen to the directive of the high command and he did not even invite Gandhis for campaigning in Punjab. It was a known joke during those days as Gandhis (Rahul & Sonia) did not campaign that’s why Congress won the Punjab state elections.

There are rumours floating in the political circle that along with his supporters Amarinder might join BJP before the next elections, if that happens political scenario of Punjab will totally change.

Let us wait and watch for future developments on this topic.

Waiting for your views/comments on this blog.

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

20^th September 2021.