There are enough indications to suggest that the swashbuckling former Indian Test opener and currently a Congress politician from Punjab is likely to rejoin the Amarinder Singh government in the near future. The follow-up meeting which Sidhu had, over the weekend, with Sports Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi in Amritsar suggests that decks are being cleared for his reinduction in the government. Sodhi was also present when the erstwhile cricketer had a luncheon meeting with Captain Amarinder Singh some days ago. Therefore, it is widely believed that Sodhi carried a message from the Chief Minister for Sidhu, to wait patiently for his re-entry into the ministry, where one slot still remains vacant, since he had quit the government. It was extremely unusual for Sodhi to have told journalists that in his estimation, Sidhu would be coming on board shortly. It is obvious that this impression would not have been conveyed, unless it had the approval of the Chief Minister himself.
It is common knowledge that the Congress high command is very keen that Sidhu should be taken back in the Cabinet. At one stage, the brief given to Harish Rawat, general secretary in-charge of Punjab, was to appoint Sidhu as the PCC chief in place of Sunil Jakhar. However, several dissidents who were opposing the Captain suddenly got behind him, to thwart any move to nominate the maverick politician as the Punjab PCC president. The next option was to ensure that he became a part of the government, since there were unconfirmed reports that Sidhu had been in touch with the BJP, which was desperately wooing him. The opposition to the farm laws apparently changed the situation, and BJP leaders negotiating his comeback were informed, that with so much resentment against the farm laws in the rural areas, it would be suicidal for any politician to join the saffron brigade in the state.
Sidhu’s popularity, particularly amongst the younger generation as also amongst the orthodox Sikhs, is phenomenal, especially after the re-opening of the Kartarpur Saheb corridor to Pakistan. Nevertheless, many politicians, both at the state and the national level, are of the view that his proximity to Imran Khan, would not be in the overall national interests. Therefore, attempts even within the Congress were made to keep him out of any kind of limelight. In the past, Sidhu during his stint in the BJP was seen by the Akalis as a potential rival in the future. This was also perhaps the reason why Arvind Kejriwal declined to project him as the Chief Ministerial nominee in the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, which probably cost him the election.
The situation in the border state continues to be extremely tense, with the farmers camping on the outskirts of Delhi. The Centre appears to have miscalculated in allowing the Akalis to quit the government. Both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishan Advani had forged an alliance with the Akalis to ensure that Hindus and Sikhs were on the same side in Punjab, which had been rocked by militancy in the whole of 1980s till the middle of 1990s. The present regime has more faith in the Captain and would want him to keep Punjab from boiling. The recent meeting between the Chief Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi could have been a step in that direction. There is speculation that Sidhu’s reinduction could thereby be a part of a larger plan, so that he is given a responsibility in order to keep him in check, and prevent him from making any controversial statements. This would also lift the pressure on the Captain from his party leadership and leave him absolutely free to assist in resolving the farmers’ crisis.
