Afflicted with what the Greeks call Hubris, Navjot Sidhu is once again proving to be the nemesis for the Congress as he holds rallies – one after the other – defying the party’s state leadership and creating confusion. Much to the chagrin of stalwarts, Congress’s high command is turning Nelson’s eye towards his ‘disorderly’ politics.
Devendra Yadav, the state in-charge appointed by the high command, is groping in the dark when tasked to discipline the cadre in Punjab. He has met senior party leaders to create a friendly relationship between a defiant Navjot Sidhu and the state unit president, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and the Leader of the Opposition, Partap Bajwa. Still, he needed help to reach a tangible solution. Insiders reveal that the cause of Sidhu’s indiscipline is the Gandhi family’s blind faith in the cricketer-turned-politician.
After Sidhu’s Moga rally, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring suspended Maheshinder Singh Nihalsinghwala from the party for organising the show. Congress member of parliament from Ludhiana Ravneet Bittu, in a cryptic message on January 15 aimed at the Priyanka-Rahul duo, said, “Either him or we.” It is common knowledge that Sidhu draws his “defying strength” from the Gandhi family heirlooms.
One remembers February 6, 2022, when Navjot Sidhu, addressing a gathering of party workers at Ludhiana in the presence of Rahul Gandhi, vied for the Chief Minister’s post openly against Charanjit Singh Channi. But once Rahul chose Channi, Sidhu recoiled into a shell and almost withdrew from the campaign. Barely days after Channi took over as CM, the maverick Leader’s resignation came as a bolt from the blue as Assembly elections were just five months away.
After exiting from the BJP in 2016, Sidhu floated a non-political Awaz-E-Punjab group with the Bains brothers of Ludhiana and hockey man Pargat Singh in tow. Many believe, in the back of his mind, he was to become the CM of Punjab, and thus, he started his flirtation with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). But once AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal refused to promise him and his wife the position he demanded, Sidhu joined Congress with the understanding of the Gandhi family. He said, “I am a born Congressman who has returned to his roots.”
At present, when INDIA is in the throes of a crisis, with the Trinamool Congress deciding to contest the 2024 General elections all alone and in Bihar, Nitish Kumar turned the tables on the Opposition’s mega alliance, Sidhu is making things difficult for the state leadership of the Congress.
On the other hand, regarding his tenure in the BJP, Sidhu had a running dispute with the BJP’s partner, the Akali Dal, which finally led to his leaving the saffron party. His wife, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, said: My husband felt suffocated for his honesty. And last week, concerning the state leadership of the Congress, Navjot Sidhu posted on X: “‘Kaudi kaudi bikey huye log (saleable commodity), baag ki baat karte hain gumlon mein uge hue log.'” The problem with the Sidhus’ is that the rest of the world was corrupt in their weltanschauung, while honesty was only their trait.
In the given scenario, it is far from possible that the Congress would make a mark in elections. The Akalis have become political pariahs after the sacrilege controversy. The BJP is still finding its moorings in Punjab, which leaves AAP with all the reasons to be optimistic about election results.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Khalsa Vox or its members.
