Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday put up a united face by visiting the Kedarnath shrine together.
The show of unity came just a day after dramatic twists and turns. On a day when the Punjab Cabinet had announced a cut of ₹3 per unit of electricity, Mr. Sidhu took on his own government by stating that people didn’t want “lollipops” but a roadmap for their development and welfare.
The Chief Minister hit back by reversing his decision on Advocate General APS Deol who had reportedly resigned, one of the key demands of Mr Sidhu.
“Life is fragile, handle with prayer …. At Kedarnath, the heavenly abode of Lord Shiva….Har Har Mahadev!” Mr. Sidhu tweeted a photograph of his along with Mr. Channi and All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Punjab Harish Chaudhary.
But the AICC high command is hardly amused by Mr. Sidhu’s changing “demands and tantrums”.
“The High Command has realised that nothing short of declaring him [Mr Sidhu] as the Chief Ministerial candidate would appease him. He knows that if we retain power, Mr. Channi will continue as the Chief Minister especially after Rahul Ji’s [Rahul Gandhi] endorsement. That’s why his tantrums will continue,” a Punjab Congress leader told The Hindu.
Many in the Congress, including the one quoted above, argued that the High Command should have accepted Mr. Sidhu’s resignation and cut its losses.
“An election-bound State needs a stable person at the helm and not someone who resorts to drama daily,” he said.
