What tipped Navjot Singh Sidhu to resignation point

Sidhu was not happy with certain appointments to important administrative posts by the party

Despite Charanjit Singh Channi's appointment as Punjab Chief Minister, Navjot Singh Sidhu was widely seen as the one pulling the strings.

The infighting between Captain and Sidhu led to the toppling of the Amarinder Singh-led government, a move that earned Congress wide criticism of not keeping its house in order. However, his shock exit as PCC President stumped the party even as Channi was seen as a Sidhu loyalist.

Senior Congress leader, Harish Rawat, went to the extent of saying that Sidhu would lead Punjab in the upcoming polls.

Then why did Sidhu quit?

It seems that Sidhu was unhappy over the appointments to important administrative posts by the party, and announced his resignation as state party chief over this.

Read more: 'Can't handle insult': Amarinder Singh to leave Congress, says not joining BJP

Sidhu is set to meet CM Channi at 3 pm in Chandigarh on Thursday.

Sidhu's key rival, Randhawa, was awarded the post of one of the state's two deputy chief ministers. He was deemed to be one of the factors behind Sidhu's resignation

The other 2 appointments were senior IPS officer Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota and A P S Deol, the state's new advocate general.

Read | Sidhu to meet Punjab CM Channi at 3 PM, Sunil Jakhar says 'enough is enough'

“My dear Punjabis, my 17 years of political journey has been for a purpose – to improve the lives of the people of Punjab, to make a difference and to take a stand on politics of issues. This has been my 'dharma' and my duty.

“Till today, I have no personal grudge against anyone, nor have I fought personal battles,” Sidhu said in a video posted on Twitter, a day after he resigned

Apparently referring to senior IPS officer Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota, who has been given the additional charge of the director general of Punjab Police, Sidhu said, “Today, I see there is a compromise on those issues."

In an apparent reference to the 2015 desecration of Guru Granth Sahib incidents in Faridkot, he said his first priority was to fight for justice the people have been eagerly waiting for.

"I see those who had given clean chits to the Badals six years ago ... have been given the responsibility of delivering justice," he added. Sahota was the head of a special investigation team formed in 2015 by the then Akali government to probe the sacrilege incidents.

In another veiled jibe, directed at Deol. he said, "My soul jitters when I see those who secured blanket bails, they are advocate general. What is the agenda here?".

Deol is a senior advocate of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and has been a counsel for former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini. He had been representing the ex-top cop in various cases against him.

(Inputs from PTI)

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