Navjot Singh Sidhu: Mercurial leader puts Congress on a sticky wicket

In 1996, the Indian cricket team toured England to play Tests and ODIs. Captained by Mohammad Azharuddin, the tour was a forgettable one as India lost both the Test series and the ODIs. But it was made worse by an off-field incident starring Navjot Singh Sidhu, who walked out of the tour following differences with Azharuddin, leaving everyone stunned.

When the incident happened, very few could fathom what went on in Sidhu's mind. Now, in 2021, the story remains the same; except that Sidhu is a politician in the Congress party.

Mercurial, colourful and flamboyant, Sidhu is a singular character, be it on the cricket field, as a television commentator, as a comedy show guest or in politics.

If earlier he could lift the spectators' spirits by effortlessly hitting sixes, 'sixer Sidhu' in his political avatar is equally adept at working up the crowd at political rallies with his use of colloquial phrases, making him an indispensable campaigner.

The Congress realises this and does not want to lose him, particularly ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, in spite of the fact that Sidhu is politically unpredictable.

The elections appeared to be a cakewalk till the dissidence within its ranks in Punjab came out in the open, as Sidhu staked his claim for a prominent role in the party.

Read | Ahead of Assembly polls, Navjot Singh Sidhu likely to return to Punjab government

Sidhu's political innings has been nothing short of eventful. And it is not surprising.

Sidhu joined the BJP in 2004 and entered the Lok Sabha the same year after winning from his hometown Amritsar. He retained the seat in the 2009 LS polls as well.

But his relations with the BJP soured after the saffron party decided to field Arun Jaitley as a candidate from Amritsar for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

An upset Sidhu had stayed away from the Lok Sabha campaign in 2014 and was mollified with a Rajya Sabha berth in 2016. The uneasy truce between Sidhu and the BJP was short lived, as he quit the party in 2016 and joined the Congress in January 2017.

There is no doubt of Sidhu's popularity with the masses, which has led to him being wooed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as also by the breakaway factions of Akali Dal.

Sidhu’s journey in the Congress has been a rocky one despite blessings from the Gandhi family. He was perhaps waiting for Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who had declared 2017 as his last election, to walk into the political sunset.

Also Read | Punjab Congress crisis: Sidhu appears before AICC panel, says his stance remains unchanged

But the Congress’ decision to place its bets on 79-year-old Amarinder once again in the 2022 Assembly elections appears to have put a fresh roadblock for Sidhu.

Tensions between Sidhu and Amarinder began when the former, then a minister in the Punjab government, decided to attend Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s oath-taking ceremony in August 2018, much against the wishes of the chief minister.

Amarinder took it as a direct affront to his authority as chief minister. The run-ins with Amarinder continued, when Sidhu attended the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor, not as a part of the Punjab government delegation but as a guest of the Pakistan prime minister.

Amarinder hit back and divested Sidhu of key portfolios, accusing him of “inept handling” that led to the loss of the Congress in urban areas in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Sidhu later quit the government and went into a sulking mode for a while. He resurfaced recently, firing barbs at Amarinder.

The AICC’s intervention to quell factionalism has strengthened Sidhu at the cost of Amarinder, who is the undisputed leader in Punjab.

A three-member committee led by senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge recommended to “suitably accommodate” Sidhu in the party or the government, much against the wishes of the chief minister.

With backing from Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sidhu has had an eye on Amarinder’s post, and in the current battle is keen to become the party’s state unit president, an idea shot down by the chief minister.

Amarinder has made it clear that leaders who have been with the Congress for years have a greater claim on key posts than a person who joined the party four years ago.

Even the chief minister’s detractors appear to agree with him on the issue.

“I do not want to comment on Sidhu, but there are traditional Congressmen who also have a right. Traditional Congressmen who have been ignored will have to be brought to the mainstream to revive the party,” senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Shamsher Singh Dullo told DH.

Sidhu has now put the ball in Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s court, and she will have to decide on how to accommodate him – as a Cabinet minister, deputy chief minister, state Congress chief or any other respectable post.

With strong support from the leadership, Sidhu’s sphere of influence is set to increase within the Congress. It remains to be seen whether the cricketer-turned-politician will prove to be an asset or a liability for the party.