Punjab Chief Minister and Congress loyalist Captain Amarinder Singh met cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday at his farmhouse in Chandigarh where the two discussed "a host of important political matters of Punjab and national interest".
On Tuesday, Captain Amarinder Singh had invited Navjot Singh Sidhu for lunch, indicating a possible patch-up with the former cricketer who quit the state cabinet after being stripped of key portfolios last year.
According to a tweet posted by Raveen Thukral, the media advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, the two leaders "discussed various issues".
It was a warm & cordial luncheon meeting that saw CM @capt_amarinder and Navjot Singh Sidhu discuss a host of important political matters of Punjab and national interest. The two leaders spent a pleasant over an hour sharing thoughts on vital issues. @sherryontopp @INCIndia pic.twitter.com/Xul7mUsVSx— Raveen Thukral (@RT_MediaAdvPbCM) November 25, 2020
"It was a warm and cordial luncheon meeting that saw Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu discuss a host of important political matters of Punjab and national interest. The two leaders spent over an hour sharing thoughts on viral issues," Punjab Chief Minister's media advisor Raveen Thukral said in a tweet.
However, Thukral did not give any insights into the meeting in the tweet. It is not exactly known what the two leaders discussed but the chief minister's office told India Today TV that both of them discussed some "political issues".
Sources close to the Punjab chief minister's office also told India Today TV that Navjot Singh Sidhu may join as a cabinet minister in the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government in Punjab.
Navjot Singh Sidhu had resigned from Captain Amarinder Singh's cabinet in July last year.
The tensions between Amarinder Singh and Sidhu had come out in the open in May last year when the CM accused the former cricketer of the "inept handling" of the Local Government Department, claiming it resulted in "poor performance" of the Congress in urban areas during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Sidhu had stayed away from all Congress activities after he resigned from the state cabinet.
He, however, made a public appearance at a "tractor rally" against the Centre's farm laws in Moga last month where party leader Rahul Gandhi, Amarinder Singh and others were also present.
Sidhu attended the "tractor rally" after AICC general secretary Harish Rawat met him at his residence in Amritsar.
The tensions between both leaders appeared to have eased when the CM praised the Amritsar MLA for the way he spoke in the assembly after the Congress government moved a resolution and brought bills against the farm laws last month. Earlier this month, Sidhu had attended a sit-in led by the chief minister at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
Harish Rawat too last month indicated a "role" for Sidhu in Punjab and had dubbed him as the Congress' "Rafale".
Rawat had said the Congress MLA's worst critic cannot deny his usefulness. With Rawat pushing for a role for Sidhu in the state, party circles are abuzz with speculation that Sidhu may be re-inducted into the state cabinet.