Amidst speculations that firebrand leader Navjot Singh Sidhu may start new innings in the wake of Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) resounding win in Delhi elections, the cricketer-turned-politician made a public appearance in an event attended by his political rival and SAD MLA Bikram Singh Majithia on late Sunday night.
Coming out of his ‘self-imposed’ political exile after he resigned from the Capt Amarinder Singh led Cabinet in July 2019, Sidhu made his first major public appearance after months at a cultural event regarding musical album release at Majitha in Amritsar, sharing stage with Majithia, besides other prominent leaders including Congress Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, SAD Taksali leader Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, among others.
Sidhu greeted Akali veteran Brahmpura, and was also seen chatting with Congress MP Aujla during the event. However, he maintained a distance from his bête noire Majithia.
The sudden appearance of motor-mouth Sidhu at an event after eight months of exile has created a stir in the Punjab political circles, especially after he abstained from campaigning for the party in the recently concluded Delhi assembly polls despite being Congress’ star campaigner.
It has been learnt that Sidhu deliberately avoided campaigning in Delhi as there are apprehensions that he might part ways with the Congress, and join any another political party, like AAP, ahead 2022 polls.
AAP’s massive win in Delhi has led to conjectures regarding Sidhu’s possible entry into the party which has set it next target on Punjab. In fact, AAP has also started sending feelers to Sidhu in a move to restructure the party organization in Punjab.
Notably, Sidhu has been absenting himself from the session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha besides skipping public meetings ever since he resigned as the Cabinet Minister in protest against changing his portfolio.
Sidhu has been keeping his cards close to the chest and has not spoken to media about his future move.
However, AAP Punjab unit president Bhagwant Mann has given indication of roping in Sidhu in Punjab. “Our party can talk to him (on the issue of his joining the party),” Mann had stated in January adding, “We will welcome good politicians. But there is no official communication so far with him”.
Earlier, Akali Dal Taksali leaders also offered the Chief Minister's post to Sidhu “if he joined the party”.
There are also speculations that political strategist Prashant Kishor, who has close proximity with both Arvind Kejriwal and Sidhu, could play a crucial role in bringing Sidhu to the AAP fold ahead of the state polls. The beleaguered AAP is also looking for a CM face in Punjab.
Kishor was also instrumental in getting Sidhu to join the Congress ahead of the Punjab Assembly election in 2015.
Used to swear loyalty to Rahul Gandhi, Sidhu had to exit from the government after differences with party veteran and Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. At loggerheads with the Chief Minister since long, Sidhu formally resigned on July 14, and has limited his public appearances since then.
At the same time, seeing the tone and tenor of Capt Amarinder’s assertions, Sidhu's “rehabilitation” in political circles is not seen in the ruling dispensation.
In his latest development, with the Pakistan Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid's disclosure that Kartarpur Corridor was the brainchild of their Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Punjab Chief Minister had urged Sidhu to be more cautious in his dealings with the Imran Khan government.
He had advised Sidhu not to allow his personal friendship with the Pakistan Prime Minister to cloud his judgement in any way, as that could be harmful for India's interests.
The Congress had won 77 seats in the 117-member state assembly in 2017 after projecting Amarinder Singh as its chief ministerial nominee, only one short of 78 figure required for a two-thirds majority.