A month after Navjot Singh Sidhu had given his resignation as the Punjab Cabinet Minister to Congress national president Rahul Gandhi, the cricketer-turned-politician on Sunday made his resignation letter public on social media fuelling speculation regarding his future course of action.
Sidhu shared his resignation letter, addressed to “Indian National Congress president Rahul Gandhi” on Twitter, which he “submitted on June 10, 2019”, a day after he met Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi in the national Capital.
In related tweet, Sidhu declared that he will also be sending his resignation to Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. However till the filing of the report, the Chief Minister’s Office denied receiving his resignation.
The 55-year-old Sidhu had met the party central leadership on June 9 after Amarinder divested the former cricketer of the Local Government and Tourism Departments on June 6 after accusing him of being a “non-performer” Minister that cost the Congress during 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the State’s urban areas.
Sidhu had blamed the Chief Minister of “singling him out for no reason” and defended himself by doling out figures and numbers to prove that urban areas performed better than the rural areas of the State during elections.
Sidhu’s move that has rubbed everyone in the wrong way within Punjab unit of the Congress party, is being seen as the beginning of end of his relation with the Congress. Speculation is that Sidhu, who had joined the Congress just before the 2017 State Assembly polls, may pave his own way while joining hands with the splinter groups, which were the part of the Punjab Democratic Alliance that contested 2019 elections together.
The development has finally put to rest the impasse between Sidhu and Capt Amarinder that has been continuing for long, much before the Lok Sabha elections. In fact, Sidhu and Capt Amarinder had been at odds on a variety of issues, including action against the Badals, Sidhu’s bonhomie with Pak Prime Minister and former cricketer Imran Khan, among others.
It was after Sidhu’s “friendly match” jibe while campaigning in Bathinda days ahead the State was to go for polls that Capt Amarinder, and other Congressmen, had accused Sidhu of “harming the party’s prospects in elections.
Mincing no words, Capt Amarinder had made it clear that he intended to change Sidhu’s portfolio, that was finally followed by a major Cabinet reshuffle. Besides four, the portfolios of all the Ministers were changed, with Capt Amarinder allotting Sidhu Power and New and Renewable Energy.
Over a month after, defiant Sidhu refused to assume the charge of his new Ministry, while remaining incommunicado since then.
A senior Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, told The Pioneer that Sidhu decided to quit after he felt that he would not be able to have his way, “and after all this while, it was too late for him and too big for his ego to take charge of Power Department and that is why he decided to resign”.
Congress Rajya Sabha member Pratap Singh Bajwa, lashing out at Sidhu, said: “What is the point of making public his letter to Rahul Gandhi? Does he want to show how in Punjab it is only that writ of Capt Amarinder Singh runs? It is obvious that distribution of portfolios is privilege of the Chief Minister. Sidhu should have taken charge of the power portfolio.”
It has been learnt that Sidhu has all along been insisting on the central leadership to get back his Local Government Department, while refusing to take charge of the Power Department, which complicated the entire issue.
Another Congress leader maintained that in case Sidhu had taken the charge of Power Ministry, the Congress high command could have persuaded the Chief Minister to give him additional portfolios. But by being adamant, Sidhu left no option for the high command, the leader added.
Questions are being raised on Sidhu’s resignation as a Minister who has to submit his resignation to the Chief Minister. Moreover, he has sent the resignation to Rahul Gandhi, who has now himself resigned as the party chief.
As per the procedure, if the central leadership accepts Sidhu’s resignation, it is forwarded to the Chief Minister, who sends it further to the Governor for consideration.