Navjot Singh Sidhu was appointed as Punjab Congress chief in July.
Chandigarh:
Navjot Singh Sidhu today resigned as Punjab Congress chief, delivering a big shock to the Gandhis, who may have hoped that changing Chief Ministers would help settle the turmoil in the state before elections early next year.
“The collapse of a man’s character stems from the compromise corner. I can never compromise on Punjab’s future and the agenda for the welfare of Punjab. Therefore, I hereby resign as the President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. I will continue to serve the Congress,” Navjot Sidhu wrote in a resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi, which he posted on social media.
Amarinder Singh, who was replaced as Chief Minister at Navjot Sidhu’s instance, promptly put out an “I-told-you-so” for the Congress leadership.
“I told you so…he is not a stable man and not fit for the border state of Punjab,” the former Chief Minister tweeted on his rival.
With its top two faces exiting in this manner, Punjab has become Exhibit A in the Congress’s growing disarray.
The resignation, four months before the Punjab election, is seen as a huge blow to the Gandhis, who were warned against appointing Mr Sidhu as Punjab Congress chief. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had pushed strongly for Mr Sidhu and had even arranged his meeting with Rahul Gandhi when the Congress was trying to decide on Amarinder Singh.
Sources say Mr Sidhu was upset about the cabinet changes made by new Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who was seen to be close to him.
Though Mr Sidhu was widely seen to act as “Super Chief Minister” in some of the decisions, he was reportedly not consulted or was ignored in recent top appointments that were seen as controversial. He was also angry about key posts given to officials linked to the “sacrilege” case.
Mr Sidhu, say sources, was also unhappy about his rival SS Randhawa being assigned a key ministry.
The double use of the word “compromise” in Mr Sidhu’s resignation letter was seen as a clue that he was asked to accept some unpleasant choices in the cabinet shuffle.
The Punjab crisis has smacked the party on a day it was set to bring on board high profile faces like Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mewani.
Earlier this month, Amarinder Singh resigned as Chief Minister, complaining of repeated “humiliation” by the party. Mr Sidhu, who set the stage for his exit, has now himself quit his post, though he says he will “continue to serve the Congress”.
Mr Sidhu’s move coincides with Amarinder Singh’s visit to Delhi today. Though it is described as “personal”, there is speculation about a possible meeting between the Captain and the BJP.
