CHANDIGARH: With the Lok Sabha polls just a few months away, Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s growing political influence may change the power equations in Punjab, as he is the Congress’ new vote catcher. Sidhu on Wednesday paid a visit to Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh at his residence and gifted him a replica of a black partridge in an effort to iron out differences with him.
Sidhu has already said that Amarinder is like his father. Wednesday’s meeting is seen as an effort to ease the tension between them as both are expected to put up a united front for the three-day Assembly session beginning Thursday. After the meeting, Sidhu left for the wedding of actor Kapil Sharma. When asked about the meeting, Sidhu said, “He (Amarander) is my elder I cannot speak on it.”
The cold war between Amarinder and Sidhu is out in the open. Amarinder had dubbed the Kartarpur corridor an ISI conspiracy and had said Sidhu at times speaks before he thinks. The remark came after his snub to Pakistan and Sidhu calling Rahul his Captain in Hyderabad. During his whirlwind tour, Sidhu’s catch-line was, “Bad days are about to end, Rahul is going to be at the helm.”
While Amarinder did not campaign for any of the five states that went to the polls, Sidhu was the star campaigner. Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur are furious with Amarinder but have reportedly been asked by the Congress high command to keep quiet, said sources. Sources said that there is also talk of a cabinet reshuffle in Punjab. Amarinder has spoken about a change in Sindhu’s portfolio with Congress President Rahul Gandhi, but the CM is in no mood to do so ahead of the reshuffle.
As of now, Amarinder has maintained his distance from the party high command. He has not attended a Congress function on Monday in Mohali and said that he was unwell. Sidhu, too, did not attend the function and cited health reasons. However, on Tuesday, he was in Delhi at the Congress headquarters, and his proximity to the Gandhis has added to his new-found clout within the party, something which is making the Amarinder camp uneasy. There’s also news of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) revamp as party legislators and leaders are hoping for a more significant role of the committee in deciding political appointments.