Navjot Singh Sidhu’s exit set to prompt lobbying for cabinet berth

CHANDIGARH: With Navjot Singh Sidhu’s formal exit from the Punjab council of ministers, lobbying by probables waiting in the wings is set to pick up. However, unlike the previous instances when senior MLAs camped in Delhi seeking a cabinet berth, this time their efforts will be directed at convincing chief minister Amarinder Singh.
Most senior MLAs are building their case around the fact that is need for more representation in the state cabinet from the Doaba region, from where the party has 18 MLAs but only one minister in Sham Sunder Arora. Besides, those from backward classes have been pressing for inclusion of more from the community in the state cabinet.
At the same time, associates of former power minister Rana Gurjit Singh, who had to resign after his name cropped up in mining scam within months of his becoming a minister, are hopeful of his return. They believe that he had been given a clean chit by the inquiry commission. However, the party sources admitted that they would still be wary of criticism from rivals.
Meanwhile, Raj Kumar Verka, whose name had been doing the rounds during the last cabinet expansion, has now been ‘suitably accommodated’ as head of the state warehousing corporation.
“Proximity to Amarinder will be the key factor for induction of the new minister. Also, senior MLAs who had gone to meet party president Rahul Gandhi after not being considered in the cabinet expansion last year may have antagonized the chief minister as he may hold it out against them. Till now there was suspense over acceptance of Sidhu’s resignation and the lobbying for cabinet berths will gather pace in the coming days,” said a senior Congress leader.
Irked over not getting cabinet berths, three senior Congress MLAs — Rakesh Pandey from Ludhiana North, Randeep Singh Nabha from Amloh and Amrik Singh Dhillon from Samrala — had resigned from the committees of the Vidhan Sabha in May 2018. Congress MLA Sangat Singh Gilzian too was hopeful of a cabinet berth but could not make it.
“A few assembly byelections too are expected shortly after state MLAs getting elected to Parliament. It depends whether Amarinder will want to induct someone before or after the byelections,” added another leader.
Minor reshuffle instead?
Sources added that instead of inducting only one senior MLA as replacement for Sidhu, Amarinder may go in for a minor reshuffle and the ministers from whose constituencies the Lok Sabha candidates could not win in the recent elections could face the axe. Even though Amarinder had warned of taking action against such ministers who fail to contribute to the campaign, there has been no talk of his promise after the election results. The party lost five of the 13 seats in the state.
Sidhu keeps everyone guessing, colleagues want him to ‘contribute as MLA’
Sources said Sidhu had been asked to scale down his tension with the chief minister and ‘lie low’ to continue as party MLA from Amritsar East. Even close associates of Sidhu confided that after his exit from the cabinet, he did not have too many political options and may wait for the party to rehabilitate him at a later stage. Sidhu’s party colleagues advised him to continue with the party.
Reacting to Sidhu’s exit, party MLA and spokesperson Raj Kumar Verka said the party leadership did not want him to quit and it was entirely his own decision and he himself sent in his resignation. “He shuold have taken over as power minisrer. Even now, he should contribute to the party as an MLA,” he added.
Punjab minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot also hoped that Sidhu would continue to remain with Congress. “He is a Congressman and will remain Congressman,” he told media persons.
Meanwhile, a Congress leader said, “The option of giving him a responsibility in the party organization is always there and that is entirely a prerogative of the central leadership. But for that too, Sidhu will have to wait for things getting sorted out at the party’s top level. Till then, he will have to wait patiently.”