Chandigarh: The crisis within the Congress government in Punjab escalated on Saturday when, in an unprecedented move, Punjab’s top law officer, Advocate General (AG) A.P.S. Deol, charged state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu of “obstructing the functioning” of the Charanjit Singh Channi government and the AG’s office.

This comes a day after Sidhu withdrew his resignation as state Congress chief, but announced that he will not join the office of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) till the time Channi replaced Deol and DGP Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota.

Sidhu, during a press conference on Friday in Chandigarh, accused Channi of not ‘walking the talk’ and not replacing the AG and DGP – both of whom, according to Sidhu, had protected the accused in 2015 sacrilege cases.

He also stated that the Channi government was hurting people’s sentiments by siding with those who came in the way of justice in sacrilege cases. Sahota, Sidhu said repeatedly, had a dubious role in the investigation of sacrilege cases.

Deol came into the limelight when he appeared for former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini before the Punjab and Haryana high court, for cases pertaining to the police firing at Sikh sangat protesting against sacrilege in 2015. 

Even as Channi maintained a conspicuous silence after Sidhu’s public criticism, Deol launched a scathing attack on Sidhu, which sources believe was a calibrated move by Channi to defend his appointed AG.

According to Deol, Sidhu is obstructing the functioning of the government and the office of the AG. His repeated utterances, said Deol, seek to derail the earnest efforts of the state government to ensure justice in the drugs matter and the sacrilege cases.

He further added, “Sidhu is spreading misinformation to gain an advantage over his political colleagues.”

“There is a concerted attempt by vested interests to malign the functioning of the Congress party in view of the upcoming elections in Punjab for their selfish political gain by politicising the constitutional office of the Advocate General of Punjab,” Deol concluded

Deol, after initially denying reports of his resignation on November 1, was left red faced after his resignation letter submitted to Channi was leaked to the media a day later. However, he continues to be in office since then, as Channi is yet to accept his resignation. The fact that Deol issued a statement against Sidhu on the official letterhead of the AG’s office is a clear indication that he is very much still holding the position.

Battle lines drawn

The AG’s outburst was a clear signal that Channi is feeling pressure from Sidhu’s public outburst against his government.

While Sidhu on Friday stated that his stand against Channi is not personal, since he has Punjab’s larger interests in mind, many see it as an extension of the power tussle within the ruling Congress that refuses to die down, despite Amarinder Singh’s removal.

In September, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra decided to remove Amarinder with Sidhu’s help. But they did not preempt a new tussle within the party after Channi’s appointment as the chief minister.

While Channi is trying to connect with the people, Sidhu has done everything in his capacity to neutralise the chief minister by evoking key issues of drugs and sacrilege, on which the Congress formed government in 2017 with a two-thirds majority.

During a press conference on Friday, Sidhu had questioned Channi for not doing enough for the delivery of justice in sacrilege cases and making public a special task force report in drugs cases in the past 50 days.

He even asked Channi during a media conference, “If you did not have guts to release the STF report (in which high profile names of politicians are mentioned), then give it to the party, I will release it and put the entire blame on me.”

Many believe Sidhu has crafted his own position on the sacrilege and drugs issues before the 2022 assembly polls in a way that if the Channi government drags its feet, it will weaken the chief minister’s position. If Channi does act, it is Sidhu who will claim the credit.

It was therefore not surprising when Sidhu on Saturday offered prayers at the Burj Jawahar Singh Wala Gurdwara in Faridkot district, from where a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen in July 2015. “Ardas at Gurudwara sahib Burj Jawahar Singh wala, Bargari …. Praying for exemplary punishment for those involved in the sacrilege of Guru Granth saheb ji … should be a deterrent for generations to come!” Sidhu said in a tweet.

He also interacted with locals at the gurudwara over the issue.Meanwhile, the Congress high command’s silence on the ongoing crisis in Punjab is a clear indication that they are still not in any mood to take action against Sidhu for openly criticising Channi. 

Some poll pundits feel that in case the Channi-Sidhu fight becomes too ugly to control, the party may face consequences in the coming elections. However, Sidhu is confident of a Congress victory in the election. During Friday’s media interaction, he said, “If key issues are resolved, I will ensure 80 to 100 seats for the party in the 2022 assembly polls.”