The release of former Indian Test opener and senior Congress leader, Navjot Singh Sidhu from the Patiala Jail after ten months, is certain to have an impact on overall politics of Punjab in general and his party in particular. Sidhu has always been the stormy petrel of his State’s politics and it was primarily because of him, the Congress had decided to replace Captain Amarinder Singh as the Chief Minister in August, 2021, while he was six months or so short of completing his tenure. The move of the High Command backfired and Charanjit Singh Channi who succeeded the Captain, failed to deliver.
The Aam Aadmi Party came to power with an overwhelming majority reducing the Congress and others to the sidelines. However, things are undergoing changes and the AAP no longer is as influential as it was, even though it is in the government. Sidhu’s absence had hurt his party since there is no other leader, who is as charismatic as him. Pratap Singh Bajwa is the leader of Opposition in the Assembly and is certainly very well versed with the nitty gritty of politics, more than anybody else in the Punjab Congress. It shall take him time to establish himself as the undisputed leader, and for that, he shall have to have a greater appeal vis-a-vis Sidhu. This is a difficult task as the former swashbuckling batsman has a sizable following amongst the youth and is also a known and declared adversary of the Akalis and the Badals. He may have won all his elections from the Majha area (lost in 2022 from Amritsar East) but essentially belongs to Malwa, which has sent the maximum number of Chief Ministers. Sidhu’s parental home is in Yadvindra Colony in Patiala and his identification with the city is total since he is also an alumnus of the Yadvindra Public School.
After Amarinder, he has always been considered as the foremost leader in the Congress, and his presence is sufficient to put life into the party. His problem is that he sometimes speaks out of turn, and it were statements made out of frustration during the Punjab elections on being denied the Chief Ministership, which affected the Congress adversely. Having been in jail for ten months, considered excessive punishment by many of his supporters, he may have had time to introspect. In his mind, he could have figured out what went wrong and what should be done in the future.
After his release on Saturday, he has already put his weight behind Rahul Gandhi claiming that a revolution to dislodge the BJP was in the offing. Sidhu further alleged that there was a conspiracy to impose President’s rule in the state by the Centre which was against Punjab and Punjabis.
The AAP government had failed to deliver and was clueless regarding the unfolding situation. Sidhu declined to make any comment on Amritpal Singh or on the murder of Sidhu Moosewala and said that he would do so at an appropriate time. Sidhu’s release would also put the BJP on the defensive since he would be lashing out at its leadership on a daily basis. The Saffron Brigade’s presence in the State leaves much to be desired and the influx of erstwhile Congress leaders to the BJP is not going to make much of a difference so far as its political fortunes go. Barring former Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, nobody else may be in any position to tilt the scales towards the BJP. Even Balbir Sidhu has his limitations as his influence is essentially in and around Mohali and in certain other parts and he has been under-utilized by his new party. With the situation in Punjab a matter of grave concern, Navjot Sidhu is expected to bring some hope for the Congress, which has been struggling to find its lost glory in Punjab as also other parts of the country. Sidhu’s new innings has commenced.