Just when it began to seem like things had settled down within the Punjab Congress, Navjot Singh Sidhu’s daughter Rabia Kaur has brought the issue back to the fore with one statement.
She answered, “Maybe the party high command had some compulsion. I have no say in this, good for them. But you can’t stop an honest man for long. And a dishonest man has to eventually stop.”
Last Sunday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had declared Charanjit Singh Channi as the party’s chief ministerial pick for the upcoming Punjab Assembly election during his visit to Ludhiana. This came after days of speculation. The two names in contention were current CM Channi and Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu.
Shortly after Charanjit Channi took over as the CM of Punjab last year, there were reports of tension between him and Navjot Sidhu. Before that, it was the long-standing rivalry between Sidhu and former CM Captain Amarinder Singh that eventually led to the latter’s resignation. Internal factionalism is not new to the Punjab Congress.
After Rahul Gandhi announced CM Channi as the party’s chief ministerial candidate, Navjot Sidhu hailed the decision and said, “During 17 years of political career, Sidhu never lived for any post, but always wanted Punjab’s betterment and improvement in lives of its people.”
The Punjab Assembly election will be held in a single phase on February 20. The votes will be counted on March 10.
