Not A Supporting Actor: Navjot Singh Sidhu Amid Tussle Within Congress For CM Face in Punjab

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu said a 'mafia-type person' cannot implement the programmes of people.

Punjab Assembly Election 2022: Amid tussle in the party over the chief ministerial candidate, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday asserted that he was “not a supporting actor”, sending out a clear message that he wants to be the CM face for the poll-bound state.

“Only people can choose the Chief Minister. If you don’t choose someone with moral authority and sincerity, then people have an alternative,” Navjot Sidhu told NDTV.

The statement from the state Congress chief comes at a time when it is being reported that Sidhu is competing with Channi in the race to be declared the Congress’s Chief Ministerial candidate Punjab.

“Your destiny depends on what you choose. It is choice, not chance that determines your destiny. A ‘mafia-type person’ cannot implement your programmes. A person who himself is mafia protector-in-chief, how can he crack down on the mafia,” Sidhu further told the news channel.

On Thursday, Charanjit Singh Channi had said that Congress will declare the name of the chief ministerial candidate of the party on February 6. It was also reported that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will announce the name of his party’s chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab polls on Sunday, when he visits Ludhiana for a virtual rally.

During his last visit to Punjab on January 27, Rahul had announced that the Congress will soon declare its chief ministerial face for the February 20 election and a decision on it will be taken after consulting the party workers.

Besides taking feedback from the leaders and workers of the party, the Congress is also seeking the opinion of the public on who should be its chief ministerial candidate through an automated call system.

For the last several weeks, both Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu have, directly or indirectly, made a case for themselves to be declared as the party’s nominee for the top post.

Channi also indicated in his constituency Chamkaur Sahib that the chief ministerial face of the Congress could be declared on Sunday.

In the meantime, Sidhu’s wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu said irrespective of who becomes the chief minister, her husband is a hero and will remain so. “Navjot Singh Sidhu is a hero and he will remain a hero,” she told reporters in Amritsar.

She was replying to a question about her husband’s political future if he does not become the chief minister of Punjab.

“Whoever is the chief minister, he should listen to his ministers, sign their files and let them do their work. Had (former chief minister) Amarinder Singh done this, nobody would have had any problem with any chief minister,” Navjot Kaur Sidhu said.

As per the earlier announcement from the EC, the polling for the 117-member Punjab Assembly is scheduled to be held on February 20 and the counting of votes will be taken up on March 10.