JOLT TO CAPT, ALL EYES ON CABINET RESHUFFLE
CHANDIGARHT: The elevation of Navjot Singh Sidhu has come as a jolt to Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh who tried his best to forestall the appointment. Capt cautioned the Congress high command that if Sidhu is given charge, the party could split.
BUT IT IS TOO EARLY TO COUNT OUT THE VETERAN OF SEVERAL POLITICAL BATTLES WHO IS WEIGHING HIS OPTIONS, GIVEN THAT HE IS STILL TO INVITE THE NEW TEAM FOR A MEETING
CHANDIGARH : Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh tried his best to forestall the appointment of former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu as the new president of the state Congress unit.
Capt cautioned the Congress high command that if Sidhu is given charge, the party could split and questioned his style of working. He also joined hands with his long-time bête noire Partap Singh Bajwa who held a meeting of nine party MPs on Sunday to throw their weight behind the chief minister as a last-ditch effort.
But their punches hit thin air and Sidhu’s elevation has come as a jolt for the two-time chief minister who seemed well-entrenched till a few months ago. Capt, who is upset over the party’s handling of infighting, then refused to meet the Amritsar East MLA till he tenders a public apology for making “derogatory” tweets and remarks against him. A clear sign that the crisis is far from over.
Till Monday night, there was no apology or response from the new appointee who went around calling on MLAs in Mohali and Chandigarh with a celebratory glint in his eyes and cameras tailing him.
Sidhu later held a meeting with several of them at cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa’s bungalow, close to the chief minister’s official residence.
Besides Sidhu, the high command has also named four working presidents to maintain caste and community equations, but Amarinder’s choices did not get in.
“Capt has faced dissent before. There was a bigger rebellion in the party ranks during his first term (2002-07). He had the backing of the high command at that time and staved off the challenge. The shoe is on the other foot this time,” said a party leader. The signs of resentment against bureaucrats running the show and Capt’s lack of accessibility were there for some time and should have set alarm bells ringing.
The opposition to the chief minister coalesced and grew around Sidhu over unfilled promises after a legal setback in the 2015 Kotkapura police firing case three months ago, leading to his promotion. From the party’s standpoint, the appointment of Sidhu, a younger leader who is expected to bring energy to the party’s campaign, is part of a generational shift.
Besides upending his calculations, the CM’s appearances before the three-member panel set up to resolve the crisis, 18-point to-do list handed to him and the subsequent changes have dented his standing.
However, it is too early to count out the veteran of several political battles who is weighing his options, given that he is still to invite the new team for a meeting. All eyes are now on the cabinet reshuffle that was to follow the revamp of the state unit.