Later Navjot Singh Sidhu resigns from the rank of Punjab The Congress president, two days ago, suddenly sparked speculation about the reasons behind the move, leaving his party colleagues, including the Gandhi family, stunned.
A battery of camera crew, apparently stunned MLAs and “worried” supporters turned Sidhu’s ancestral home in Patiala’s Yadvendra Enclave into a political hotspot following his resignation.
In his resignation letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Sidhu said that he can never compromise on the future of Punjab and the agenda of Punjab’s welfare. News18 tells you what led to the cricketer-turned-politician’s move, just days after Captain Amarinder Singh resigned from the chief minister’s chair.
1. Induction of ‘tainted’ MLA
Trouble started on Sunday hours before the new ministers were sworn in, with some MLAs writing to Sidhu saying “tainted” Rana Gurjit Singh should not be made a minister as he faces allegations of corruption in sand mining. In fact, Gurjit Singh was removed from the cabinet by the then Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on allegations of corruption. Sidhu, however, again failed to prevent Gurjit Singh’s promotion as a minister.
2. Troubled by Channi
She is also believed to be upset over some other ministerial appointments made by Channi, such as Aruna Choudhary, who is a relative of the chief minister and is facing anti-incumbency in her constituency Dinanagar. Sidhu was instead advocating for a berth to Raj Kunar Chhabewal, the head of the Scheduled Castes (SC) department of the Punjab Congress Committee.
He also reportedly had a problem with the decision to give the Home portfolio to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. Sidhu wanted Channi to maintain the department himself.
3. Representation of Religious Sikhs
The cabinet structure also seems to have disturbed the caste dynamics, with religious Sikhs not being given adequate representation, who make up 30% of the SCs. The community has nine MLAs in the current assembly. Sources say that Channi was not receptive to the idea of accommodating religious Sikhs as he was pushing for his community.
4. Ag. Appointment of
The Congress government of the state on Monday appointed senior advocate APS Deol as its advocate general. Sources said Sidhu wanted to appoint senior 1986-batch IPS officer Siddharth Chattopadhyay as DGP and senior advocate DS Patwalia as AG. The decision on the DGP is yet to be approved by the UPSC, but the Charanjit Singh Channi government has given additional charge of the post to Sahota. Chattopadhyay will retire in March next year while Sahota, a 1988 batch, will retire next August.
5. No official of choice
According to a report in the Indian Express, Sidhu was also upset over not getting any officer of his choice in key posts, including the Punjab Police Chief. His advisor, former IPS officer Mohammad Mustafa, wanted S Chattopadhyay to get the post, but Channi appointed another officer of his choice for the role.
The biggest loss to the Punjab Congress was perhaps Razia Sultana, who resigned as a cabinet minister on Tuesday, hours after Sidhu resigned as state Congress chief. In her resignation letter to Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Sultana said she was resigning “in solidarity with Navjot Singh Sidhu”.
Sultana is considered close to Sidhu. Her husband Mohammad Mustafa, a former IPS officer, is Sidhu’s principal strategic advisor. Earlier in the day, Sultana was given the charge of water supply and sanitation, social security, women and child development, printing and stationery departments.
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