The chaos in the Congress’s Punjab unit refused to show any sign of settling, as Navjot Singh Sidhu, who resigned as its chief on Tuesday, hardened his stand on Wednesday and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi urged him to resolve his grouses by holding talks.
Mr. Sidhu observed that he would firmly stick to his stance and continue the fight even if it meant losing everything.
Mr. Channi categorically said the party is supreme and the government pursued its ideology. “Party president is the head of the ‘family’. I have spoken to Mr. Sidhu and conveyed him that the party’s ideology is supreme, and that the government follows it. I have urged him to talk and resolve the matter. We will resolve the issue,” he stated .
Party insiders said the central leadership was not amused by Mr. Sidhu’s abrupt move and the manner of his quitting by displaying his resignation on a public platform. By not rushing Harish Rawat, party’s Punjab affairs in charge to deal with the crises, the party high command is believed to have given an indication that it is in no mood placate Mr. Sidhu by going the ‘extra mile’.
AICC observer reaches State
All India Congress Committee appointed observer Harish Chaudhary, however, has reached Punjab to take stock of the situation. The party has tasked the Chief Minister to resolve the emerging crises and he has assigned Pargat Singh and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, both Ministers and close associates of Mr. Sidhu, to talk to him.
Also, it is learnt that the party is apparently in a bind, as it doesn’t want Mr. Sidhu to be a ‘martyr’ in the electoral battle who has chosen emotional and sensitive issues surrounding the Bargari sacrilege and the inclusion of tainted leaders in the government as the basis of his quitting. It would want a swift end to the crises, even it means replacing the PCC chief.
While Mr. Sidhu’s close associates, including few MLAs and other party leaders, met him to pursue him to take back his decision and deliberate on the issues, there were other senior party leaders who hit out at him. They accused him of harming the party.
On Wednesday, Mr. Sidhu remarked that during his 17 years of political journey, he had been working with a purpose to improve the life of the State people and make a difference. Taking a principled stand on issue-based politics and sticking to it had been the core of his political journey, he asserted.
‘Positions not relevant’
“My fight has always been on issues and Punjab favoured agenda; it has never been personal. There’s not going to be any compromise surrounding my struggle on Punjab’s rights and truth... In my fight, positions have never been relevant,” he emphasised.
Launching an attack on the government without naming anyone, he said the issues for which he had taken a committed stand before people were being compromised.
Pointing to the Bargari sacrilege issue, which has been a political flashpoint in the State politics, he stated, “... people who had given clean chits to “Badals”, and people who have secured blanket bails are today appointed at key posts such as the advocate general. The people who were earlier talking about issues, where are they now, and where are the resources through which we would have achieved our objective?”
He said, “I can neither mislead the high command nor let it get misled. While fighting for the cause of Punjab, I am willing to give any sacrifice, but will continue to stand on my principles. The system was full of tainted officer and tainted leaders, and now again they have been brought back. I oppose it. I’ll stick [to my stance] and fight – if everything goes let it be”.
‘It’s just not cricket!’
Hitting out at Mr. Sidhu, former PCC president Sunil Jakhar tweeted, “It’s just not cricket! What stands compromised in this entire ‘episode’ is the faith reposed in the (outgoing ?) PCC President by the Congress leadership. No amount of grand standing can justify this breach of trust placing his benefactors in a peculiar predicament”.
Congress leader and former MP Udit Raj said in a tweet, “What Congress hasn’t done for Navjot Siddhu? Made him Minsiter & PPCC president, fulfilled his wish to remove Capt Amarinder from CM and Channi was also his choice. May be a dalit CM was the cause”.
