Amidst all out efforts to put up a united face and send across a message that “all is well” within the Congress’ Punjab unit ahead of 2022 polls, the state party president Navjot Singh Sidhu has raised another controversy — the time over the announcement of the Congress’ chief ministerial candidate.
While the Congress party high command had decided to fight the ensuing state assembly polls under “collective leadership”, and not in the name of an individual, Sidhu on Wednesday questioned the move during his interaction with a private news channel.
“Dulhe bin baraat kaisi,” quipped Sidhu, adding that announcing the Chief Ministerial candidate was crucial ahead of the polls.
Insisting on the party to declare “lada” (groom in reference to Chief Ministerial candidate) before the baraat (a wedding procession, referring to the elections), Sidhu maintained that the Congress should enter the fray only by announcing the face of the Chief Minister.
People of the state wanted to know who would get Punjab out of the mud (crisis) and how, and what is our “roadmap”, he said, while reminding about the Aam Aadmi Party’s fate in 2017 which did not announce the Chief Ministerial, adding that now same will happen with the Congress.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Sidhu said that in 2017, the Congress party had declared Capt Amarinder Singh as the Chief Minister and the party should still declare the face of the Chief Minister. “Back then, we used to ask AAP about its CM face. And if the Congress does not announce the face of the Chief Minister this time, people would ask us, ‘Who is your lada?” he said.
Sidhu maintained that any decision in this regard should be taken by the Congress high command.
Available information suggests that the Congress high command has already conveyed its decision to the Punjab unit that the assembly election will not be fought under an individual’s name, but as a collective leadership.
The move is primarily aimed at striking a balance among various communities of voters, especially when there is more than one contender for the apex post. Sidhu’s aspiration to be the Chief Minister is not unknown. In fact, at several occasions, Sidhu had openly expressed reservations about Charanjit Singh Channi’s elevation to the Chief Minister’s post. Sidhu, at the same time, has all along been projecting himself as the chief ministerial candidate.
“The party high command wants Punjab's top leadership in the state to put up a united face. Earlier, Capt Amarinder was the Congress face in Punjab. He was the tallest leader in the party, with virtually no one challenging his right to lead the party. Now, we have many big names,” a senior Congress leader said while talking with The Pioneer.
The Congress leader said the party high command want to woo all categories and sections with Navjot Singh Sidhu representing the Jats, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi will be the party’s Dalit face, and Sunil Jakhar is the Hindu face. “We can’t upset anyone by declaring a CM face,” added the leader.
Channi, who has all along been projecting himself as a man of the masses, as common and simple as them, has also joined the race to the post of Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, the state campaign committee chairman for 2022 Punjab polls Sunil Jakhar maintained that the party’s campaign, this time, would be built around the party’s performance and its vision.
“The party high command has already clarified that they intend to go with a collective leadership this time...Party’s in-charge for Punjab affairs Harish Chowdhary had also made it clear that this election is not going to be built around one particular person,” said Jakhar.
Jakhar, who is also the former PPCC chief, pointed that the party;s election campaign in 2017 polls was built around Capt Amarinder Singh, “but it won’t be on that line this time”.
“It’s going to be a joint Congress. We will be fighting on our performance as a lot of development works has been done in the State,” he added.