Crisis within the Congress over the appointment of mayors is apparently heading towards resolution with the intervention of Congress high command and senior party leaders managing to pacify an irate and sulking Navjot Singh Sidhu.
The Local Government Minister on Wednesday attended the Cabinet meeting after he was calmed down by senior Congress leaders, including State party affairs in-charges Asha Kumari and Harish Chaudhary, though the exact “settlement” between the leaders is unknown.
It is expected to come to the fore soon as Jalandhar mayor is scheduled to be elected on Thursday. If sources are to be believed, Amritsar mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu, who does not share good rapport with Sidhu, may be changed.
SIDHU KEPT CONG ON TOES
Hectic political activity was witnessed on Wednesday since morning after Sidhu issued a short and crisp statement expressing his grouse. Soon, Asha Kumari and Harish Chaudhary were sent by the party high command to pacify sulking Sidhu.
Meanwhile, the State party chief Sunil Jakhar was making efforts to resolve the issue. Hours later Sidhu’s media interaction after a departmental meeting, Congress senior leader Raj Kumar Verka too held a press conference clarifying the party’s stand.
In the afternoon, a meeting was held between Asha Kuamri, Harish Chaudhary, Jakhar and Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. And finally, Sidhu attended the Cabinet meeting amidst assumptions that he may stay away in protest.
DEEPLY HURT: SIDHU
Mincing no words, Sidhu issued a written note saying that he was “deeply hurt” as the State Government and the party did not seek his views while selecting candidates for the mayoral posts though he was the Local Bodies Minister. He said that he was not even involved in the decisions at any level in the matter.
Sidhu, along with 15 municipal councillors, stayed away from the official programme of the election of Amritsar mayor a day before — causing a major embarrassment to the party.
For selecting the mayors, the Congress had appointed three Cabinet ministers — Tript Rajinder Bajwa, Aruna Chaudhary and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot as observers for the mayoral elections in Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala corporations, respectively.
When pointed out that he had said that he would abide by whatever the Chief Minister decides regarding the election of mayor, Sidhu said: “This means that I should not be involved in the matter related to my department and not being called in any of the meetings. And now somebody else will hold meetings of my department? Does it mean that somebody else will now take a decision pertaining to the local bodies department.”
At the same time, Sidhu also ruled out taking up this issue with the Chief Minister.
Clarifying his position on not attending Amritsar mayoral poll, he said: “I was not even properly invited for the meeting to elect Amritsar mayor. Therefore, I did not attend the meeting.”
SIDHU, ALL MLAs HAD AUTHORISED CM TO CHOOSE MAYOR: VERKA
Defending the party, Punjab Congress’ chief spokesperson and MLA Raj Kumar Verka on Wednesday claimed that Sidhu, along with all MLAs, had authorised the Chief Minister in a one-line resolution to decide on the election of mayor.
“Then the matter ends here and there should not be any confusion,” he said, adding that it was a party’s process wherein neither ministers nor MLAs were aware about who would be elected as mayor,” he said.
Verka said that the arrangement of programme of Amritsar Mayor’s election was made by Sidhu’s department, not by the party. “There could have been some communication gap which led to this situation,” he said.
HIGH COMMAND INTERVENES
Keeping a close tab on the party’s performance in Punjab, the Congress high command on Wednesday sent the State party-affairs in-charges — Asha Kumari and Harish Chaudhary — to the State capital.
Even as the two leaders dubbed their visit as routine, but the urgency in which they reached Chandigarh gave enough indications that they were in Chandigarh to resolve the ongoing party crisis and pacify Sidhu.
Kumari told The Pioneer that she has come to Chandigarh for a routine meeting, and she would be leaving for Dalhousie after the meet. She categorically refused to speak on Sidhu’s issue, as of now.
Sources had informed that she was here to look into Sidhu’s concern and state party president Jakhar was helping her.
Later in the day, a hush-hush meeting was held between the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder, Asha Kamari, Harish Chaudhary and Sunil Jakhar.
Sources in the party has admitted that Sidhu was upset for not being elevated as deputy chief minister and now he was airing his grievances in public as the talks of appointing Capt marinder’s deputy has once again gain momentum.
SIDHU HAPPY, NO RESENTMENT: MANPREET
Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal on Wednesday said that all media speculations on Navjot Singh Sidhu have been rebuffed. “Sidhu participated in the Cabinet meeting and he was happy and has no resentment,” claimed Manpreet after the meeting.
He said that Sidhu became part of the Cabinet in a happy and healthy environment.
On being asked if party’s Rajya Sabha MP Pratap Singh Bajwa and Sidhu have violated the party discipline by making a statement in the media, Manpreet said that he cannot say anything about this.