Chandigarh: In the 1980s, a sports writer’s ‘strokeless wonder’ remark had almost written off Navjot Singh Sidhu’s cricketing career.The same journalist ended up giving him a new title ‘Sixer Sidhu’ as he finished his international cricketing career on a high in 1999, Sidhu revealed in a 2019 interview.Years later he is now anointed as ‘Super CM’ as he emerged larger than life figure in ruling Congress after his successful rebellion against powerful Amarinder Singh.

Never before the office of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief that Sidhu is holding was so powerful over the chief minister’s office as it is seen now.Sidhu’s influence is visible as new chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab’s first Dalit CM, submitted the list of his cabinet to Punjab governor Saturday afternoon. The induction ceremony will be held on Sunday, September 26, at 4:30 pm.

Who is in and out?   

Five ministers in Amarinder Singh’s old cabinet and also his close aides – Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Balbir Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Sunder Sham Arora and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot – are learnt to have been dropped.

On the other hand, PPCC working presidents Kuljit Nagra and Sangat Singh Gilzian, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, PPCC general secretary Pargat Singh, Dr. Raj Kumar Veraka, Rana Gurjit Sodhi and former CM Beant Singh’s grandson, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, are seven names in Channi’s cabinet, said sources.

At least five out of these seven new names are Sidhu’s choices, said party insiders. Channi, according to a report in Indian Express, was against the induction of Pargat and Nagra on the point that they were holding important positions in party organisation and they would not be able to do justice if they are given more responsibility.

Navjot Singh Sidhu with Punjab new chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Congress leader Harish Rawat and others. 

But their induction made it clear that Sidhu prevailed from Channi and even over former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal who was also opposing Warring tooth and nail since both come from the same region and they don’t see eye to eye.The names which have been retained from the old cabinet are Brahm Mohindra, Manpreet Badal, Sukhbinder Sarkaria, Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Vijay Inder Singla, Aruna Chaudhary, Razia Sultana and Bharat Bhushan Ashu.

Two of them – Sukhbinder Sarkaria and Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa – are already Sidhu’s confidants who played vital roles in Captain’s exit.Sultana is also considered close to Sidhu as her husband, former IPS officer Mohammad Mustafa, is his principal strategic adviser.Brahm Mohindra, Vijay Singla and Bharat Bhushan Ashu are retained because of prominent Hindu faces of the party and are considered moderates. Badal too enjoys good relations with the Gandhis.

“While new cabinet has barely few months of shelf life in poll-bound Punjab, what makes it amply clear that it is Sidhu who has been making all noises in Punjab, both within the party and the government,” said political commentator Harjeshwar Pal SinghWhat makes him more powerful is how he played a vital role in reestablishing the control of Gandhi siblings, Rahul and Priyanka, by getting rid of Amarinder who stopped taking them seriously and even embarrassing them by towing BJP’s political line on national issues.

“Had there been someone else in place of Sidhu, he would have taken some posts or benefits. This very quality of his that he is not after money is what makes him different from the present lot,” he added.

Roller coaster ride

Sidhu and controversies have run parallel throughout his political and cricketing careers. Who can forget when Sidhu left India’s 1996 English tour midway and flew back home following a tiff with the then skipper Azharuddin.After leaving cricket, Sidhu, who hails from Patiala, emerged as a famous cricket commentator before he began his political life in 2004.He became a member of parliament from Amritsar on a BJP ticket in the 2004 parliament elections.

However, two years later, he resigned from the Lok Sabha following his conviction in a case of death in a road rage case of 1988 in which a man died.After the conviction was stayed, he won the by-election again with a good majority followed by another win in the 2009 parliamentary elections as well.In the 2014 elections, Sidhu again came into the limelight after BJP nominated Arun Jaitely instead of him followed by his decision not to contest from anywhere else except Amritsar.

Two years later he left BJP before joining Congress in 2017 and there too he stirred controversies, prominent among them was his visit to Pakistan during the opening of the Kartarpur corridor.Jagrup Singh Sekhon, professor at the department of political science at Amritsar-based Guru Nanak Dev University, told The Wire that till date he is seen as a rebel. Within BJP too, he locked horns with Akali Dal leaders, including Sukhbir Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia, over a number of issues.

His rebellious trajectory continued even in Congress and finally ended up with Amarinder’s exit that no one had ever expected.“Now no one can deny his influence within the Punjab Congress now. The way he carries himself makes him no less than a super CM or de facto CM. How he uses his power will decide his future course,” he adds.

According to him, his biggest weakness is that he often fails to take people along. He does not trust people much. The narrative created by the media that Congress has an edge after Amarinder’s exit is not entirely true.

“In Punjab, the different sections of people are upset with the last four and half years of Congress rule. The tag of non-performance on Congress will not go away simply by throwing Amarinder out. How Sidhu changes the government’s public perception will decide the fate of the Congress in the coming election. But the problem is that the timing is running out,” said Sekhon.

For the opposition, Sidhu is an opportunist and does not have any ideological stand. BJP leader from Amritsar Laxmi Kanta Chawla told The Wire that Sidhu or others who indulge in Dal-Badal politics are not real people representatives. They are guided more by their self-interest than the public cause.

“On a personal front, he may be a good person but in politics, he is not reliable. He left BJP after he was not made a minister by Modi. Then he created turmoil in Congress after not getting prominence there. His political ambition takes him to another level,” said Chawla.She said political parties are equally responsible for giving prominence to such politicians and fishing out such politicians for temporary gains. Let see how long the Gandhis tolerate him.

Amarinder’s barrage of accusations

Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh. 

After exit, Amarinder hurled a barrage of accusations against Sidhu, calling him not only anti-national but also inefficient.In one interview, Amarinder said that during his tenure as local bodies ministry, his performance was a cause of concern. There was a huge pendency of files.

Political commentator Harjeswar Pal Singh said that there is some amount of truth in Amarinder’s accusation as far as his incompetence is concerned.“In the past 18 years of his public life, he can’t boast of any big achievement except the opening of Kartarpur corridors. Even when he was an MP, he hardly used to go to the parliament. I don’t remember any of his speeches on the floor of the parliament unlike AAP’s Bhagwant Mann,” said Harjeshwar.

He said, “Even he did not use his MPLAD funds properly in his constituency. He always ranked low during surveys by media houses on the performance of MPs.”According to Harjeshwar, after Congress came to power in 2017 and he was made local bodies minister, his work was not very effective. The problem with Sidhu is that his attention span is very less. He can’t focus much.“Sidhu’s judgement about people is very poor. That is why he does not have a strong team of his own till now, ” he adds.

Channi may be a formidable challenger 

Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi offers prayers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, September 22, 2021. 

Caste, as many see, is a double-edged sword. Channi may have emerged a last-minute candidate but his credential as state’s first Dalit CM propelled his popularity.Political commentator Neerja Chowdhury wrote in her recent piece that if the Congress emerges victorious in 2022 under the chief-ministership of Channi, it would mean the lower castes have voted for the party in larger numbers and it would become very difficult for the party to remove him.

If it does remove him, the BJP’s charge of using him as a ‘nightwatchman’ would stick and the lower castes would not forget it easily, she said.So far, Channi is seen to be under Sidhu’s influence. But that could change, as those close to Channi say he is an astute politician who can leverage his position.He has played the aam aadmi (common man) card well. Besides helping Congress to use the Dalit card at the national level, it will also help the party in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections. In the process, Channi could also emerge stronger in the Punjab Congress. 

This apart, several in the Congress have ganged up against Sidhu. While Amarinder’s outburst is visible, there are others too working behind the curtain.Even though he has thrown Amarinder out, it may not be easy for Sidhu to replace Channi, many believe.