Sidhu’s aggressive ascendancy to Punjab Cong’s top post leads to another resignation
Punjab Advocate General APS Deol stands sacrificed at the altar of Navjot Singh Sidhu’s antics. His resignation has been forwarded to the Governor. Deol’s days were numbered after he exchanged sharp words with Sidhu. The State will now have another officer in the post whom Sidhu possibly does not dislike. Punjab will similarly have a new Director-General of Police because Sidhu does not like the incumbent. Presumably, Sidhu may take up his work as president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee once the two demands are met. To date, he has been attacking his own Government, intent on having his way and unmindful of the effect it may have on the electoral prospects of Congress. Sidhu was brought in to tackle previous Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and a sordid drama followed that made the Captain leave the Congress to form a separate political party. However, Sidhu did not become Chief Minister as he may have hoped, the post going to a rank outsider, Charanjit Singh Channi. After taking on Captain openly, Sidhu had no option but to support Channi’s elevation. However, he was soon miffed when the new Chief Minister started taking important decisions and Sidhu felt he was not being consulted. Sidhu was initially seen as the “super CM” but Channi took several decisions including changes in the Cabinet and appointment of officers ignoring Sidhu’s recommendations. Deol’s resignation and the clearance of a name acceptable to Sidhu as the next DGP may calm him down for the time being and until the next time.
The question is whether Sidhu’s tantrums have ended or the State Congress is simply waiting for the next dose? Difficult to say given his whimsicality. The point is, and Sidhu knows it well, he is burning his bridges fast with everybody who stood by him, including the party high command. Some sections in the State Congress make uncharitable comments that he has already been written off and that it is a matter of time until after the Assembly elections when his fate will be decided once and for all. The high command certainly does not appear to be on his side. It gave him a long rope while making him the PCC chief and he burnt it fast. The leadership’s motive in propping him up was to ease out Captain. That job is over. It has since adopted the path of least resistance, finding it better to keep him closer than afar. It ignored Sidhu’s antics till they became unbearable and put him on notice when he quit his post. He agreed to backtrack and Deol was the sacrificial lamb. For now, he has no option but to make himself heard intermittently if only to insist that he was a more deserving candidate for CM than Channi. That is the only way he can keep himself visible till the time comes for choosing the next Chief Minister.