Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 6: Amidst tweet by the Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu’s tweet that all the Congressmen in the border state would abide by Rahul Gandhi’s decision, the party former president on Sunday announced the incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi as the Congress chief ministerial candidate in the February 20 elections.
The announcement differing from the Congress party’s usual practice of keeping a final decision pending till after the polling was over, is considered to be the party’s yet another effort to broker peace in its state unit where the tussle between Channi and Sidhu for the top job besides several other aspirants in the fray was ruining the party’s united face before the voters.
The Chief Ministerial face of Punjab, Gandhi said, was not his decision. “I have not decided about it. I asked this to Punjab’s people, youth, members of working committee… I may have an opinion but your opinion is more important than mine… Punjabis told us that we need a person who can understand the poor.”
Gandhi’s announcement came after a tele-poll where people were asked to choose the future Chief Minister. The move, similar to Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, opened the Congress to many jeers. The tele-poll and the subsequent announcement was the result of the a running feud between the Channi and Sidhu, who has made his ambitions clear ever since he joined the Congress from the BJP ahead of the state elections in 2017.
Making it clear that his hand was forced in the matter, Rahul Gandhi had announced at a public meeting on January 27: “Normally, we do not declare a Chief Minister face but if Congress workers want, we will select a face as well. But we will consult Congress workers. They will decide.”
After Gandhi’s January 27 announcement, Sidhu increased his pressure and attacks on Channi. The last instance was on Friday, when citing the raids on a relation of the Chief Minister, he said the party must choose someone “honest and with a clean track record”. Any Chief Minister choice, he added, should have the backing of at least 60 MLAs.
The closest Mr Sidhu came to his coveted goal was last year when Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down as the Chief Minister after a year-long tussle with a band of rebels MLAs led by Sidhu. But the party opted for Charanjit Singh Channi, a leader from the Scheduled Caste community, who despite keeping a low profile, made it clear that he was no cipher.
Indications that the high command favoured Channi for the chief ministerial face was given when he was nominated from two assembly constituencies.
Earlier on Sunday morning, Sidhu tweeted to say that everyone “will abide” by Rahul Gandhi’s decision. “Nothing great was ever achieved without an act of decision… Warm welcome to our leading light Rahul Ji , who comes to give clarity to Punjab…. All will abide by his decision!!!” his post read.
The Congress announcement came on a day when the nation was mourning the death of the iconic singer Lata Mangeshkar who ruled the silver screen for over seven decades. The BJP had cancelled the Prime Minister’s virtual rally for Goa and the launch of its manifesto in Uttar Pradesh as a mark of respect to the singer. Instead Narendra Modi reached Mumbai to attend the last rites of the melody queen.
