‘Upset’ Sidhu goes incommunicado

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 23

Fissures in the Congress came to the fore with Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu staying away from the event to announce the name of Amritsar Mayor.

After the removal of Rana Gurjit Singh as Cabinet Minister and Suresh Kumar as Chief Principal Secretary to CM, the party is facing another trouble over Sidhu getting upset with the leadership.

Till Tuesday evening, efforts to persuade him failed to yield any result as he remained inaccessible.

A senior party leader said: “Even as the matter of mayoral posts was decided at a meeting in Delhi, Sidhu could have been involved by giving him the charge of Amritsar elections.”

People close to Sidhu said he was likely to abstain from the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to register his protest. He had done this earlier too after his recommendation regarding funds and choice of officers went unheeded.

Party insiders say Sidhu felt ignored right from the start of the process of short-listing candidates for mayoral posts. Though publicly accepting the authority of the CM, Sidhu is upset over being sidelined on the matter of picking mayoral candidates, mainly in Amritsar.

PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar said: “It is unfortunate and could have been avoided. Cabinet Minister Tript Rajinder Bajwa had gone to Sidhu’s house to invite him. But he could be contacted. The PPCC has sought a report on the councillors who did not attend the event organised to announce the Amritsar Mayor.”

The sources say Sidhu rising popularity has not gone down well with those close to the centre of power. While some of the MLAs from Majha are inclined to support Sidhu in the fresh turmoil, they are wary of airing their mind, lest they lose the chance of making it to the Cabinet.