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Sidhu Will Not Let Go So Easily

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2022-02-05 05:40:22

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

Navjot Singh Sidhu is at it again. He is not one to let an opportunity to strike at his opponents go by and he is continuously building pressure on the Congress high command to leave it with no option but to name him as the chief ministerial candidate in the event the party wins in Punjab. On Friday, he categorically said that people at the top in the party want a "weak CM", someone who will "sing their tunes".

Taking a cue from the arrest of Bhupinder Singh Honey, the nephew of chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi earlier in the day in an illegal sand mining case, Sidhu said that the people of Punjab will not tolerate a corrupt chief minister. He also said that those who are in league with the corrupt will not be able to wipe out corruption in the state.

Since Sidhu is locked in a battle with Channi to be the next chief minister of Punjab, instead of criticizing the Centre for unleashing Central agencies to put pressure on the Congress (as opposition leaders usually do) ahead of the elections, Sidhu chose to speak in veiled terms about Channi being corrupt and supporting corruption. Although Sidhu later said he was quoted out of context, it was clear he was challenging the high command.

The Congress high command is due to announce the person who will lead the party in the elections today. Reports suggest that Channi has become the frontrunner after tele-voting by party workers. But Sidhu's attitude is clear. He will not accept it. All his energies are directed towards becoming the chief minister ever since he started the campaign against Captain Amarinder Singh. When Channi was made the chief minister, it was thought to be a strategic stop-gap move on part of the Congress high command. But as Channi's stature has grown, Sidhu has become combative. It is now clear that the 'top people' in the Congress have a fight on their hands.

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