CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: Amid continuing signals that Amritsar (East) MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu may be handed the charge of the Punjab Congress, an official suggestion to this effect on Thursday triggered a controversy, forcing a notional back pedalling by the party and laying bare the pressures and counter-pressures at play.
AICC in-charge of Punjab Harish Rawat was quoted in media as saying that Sidhu could be made the party president and a peace formula to ensure that the cricketer-turned-politician and chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh were on the same page had been worked out.
The remark turned up the political heat among Punjab leaders opposed to Sidhu who view him as a newcomer to the party. While some started contacting the Delhi leadership over what was coming, those close to the CM as well as the GenNext leaders antagonistic to Sidhu were agitated. Rawat’s announcement came as a surprise for the Amarinder camp and leaders considered close to him made calls to party leadership in Delhi. A war of wits played out in public, with separate meetings of the CM with loyalists, while Sidhu called on dissident ministers.