Repeatedly putting self before party, Sidhu has single-handedly hurt the Punjab Congress

There are missiles. Then, there are misguided missiles. And then there are misguided missiles that torpedo their mother ship. Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu belongs to the last category. The maverick cricketer-turned-politician seems to have virtually filched infallible victory away from the Congress in just about five years of joining the grand old party, leaving it staring at an existential crisis like never before in Punjab. ‘Here today, gone tomorrow’ appears to be the reality for the Punjab Congress with the party high command backing, though not yet rewarding, dissenter Sidhu in his inexorable battle against former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. Six months ago, the Captain appeared invincible. The party’s open support to farmers, the SAD’s feeble position brought about by incidents of sacrilege during its tenure, a disintegrated AAP and the sidelined BJP provided a perfect recipe for the Congress’ electoral success. Amarinder’s track record, too, was encouraging. The “Maharaja” annexed new constituencies for the party in the 2017 Assembly elections, bagging 77 of the 117 seats. He also engineered victory for the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha and local body polls. But the party structure has since crumbled the way of the cookie.

After failing to hoist himself to the Deputy CM’s chair, Sidhu questioned Amarinder on his failure to act against the SAD leaders in drugs and sacrilege cases. But round one went to the Captain. Sidhu remained in political hibernation till the opening of the Kartarpur corridor unlocked new political opportunities. He unabashedly took credit before presenting himself as indispensable for the Congress. The central leadership, too, overlooked his boisterousness and tendency of bringing ‘ghar ki baat’ in public, perhaps because of Amarinder’s frequent meetings with PM Narendra Modi. Though the Captain held the MLAs together by a fine thread, Sidhu managed to get himself appointed as the Punjab Congress president. The former cricketer created a parallel power centre and left the party divided. Just when things appeared to be settling down after Charanjit Singh Channi was anointed Punjab’s first SC Chief Minister, Sidhu’s tantrums restarted with the elections barely three months away. From The Kapil Sharma Show to the seat of the Punjab PCC president and then on to relinquishing that, too, Sidhu may be smiling along but it is a matter of serious conjecture if the Congress high command is feeling amused by his antics.