Navjot Singh Sidhu Rejects Deputy CM’s Post, Refuses to Work Under Capt. Amarinder
Navjot Singh Sidhu Rejects Deputy CM’s Post, Refuses to Work Under Capt. Amarinder
Navjot Singh Sidhu is at loggerheads with Capt. Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab. In a move to rehabilitate Sidhu who resigned from his Amritsar MLA in 2019, the Congress top brass had offered him the position of the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab.
But if sources are to be believed, Sidhu is apprehensive about working under Capt. Amarinder Singh. In fact, he has out-rightly declined the offer stating that ‘he will not be comfortable’. Sidhu, however is eyeing the position of Punjab Congress Committee chief to which Capt. Amarinder has opposed.
To recall, Congress party’s poor performance in Punjab in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections led to Capt. Amarinder Singh tweaking Sidhu’s role and portfolio. This irked Sidhu who eventually resigned from his position.
Two years down the line, ahead of 2022 Punjab assembly elections, the Congress high-command had constituted a three-member panel to better understand and resolve the issue of factionalism in the Punjab Congress.
The report submitted last week to Congress President Sonia Gandhi suggested a revamp of the state unit to include all castes, regions and religions. While the report suggested no major changes at the top level in Punjab, it stated that Navjot Singh Sidhu be ‘suitably accommodated’.
Following Sidhu’s refusal to take up Deputy CM’s position, party president Sonia Gandhi has summoned both Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu to Delhi on June 20, 2021.
