Captain's letter to Sonia Gandhi delays Sidhu's elevation; slams High Command interference

Miffed at Navjot Singh Sidhu's impending appointment as Punjab Congress chief, Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday, wrote to party chief Sonia Gandhi expressing his concerns. In his letter, the Punjab CM has also expressed anger at Congress High Command continued interference into the state unit's politics, stating that the High Command must understand Punjab. Warning of repercussions of the High Command's continued interference, he said that both the party and the government will be affected. This angry letter has stopped Sonia Gandhi in her tracks, allegedly delaying Sidhu's appointment as Punjab Congress chief.

Punjab CM writes to Sonia Gandhi

Revealing the contents of the letter, Punjab MLA Rajkumar Verka said that the CM had highlighted how castes need to be represented adequately in the party and the state cabinet. Similarly, Congress MP Manish Tewari too had tweeted that Punjab needs to balance social interest groups highlighting the 38% Hindu population in the state. This was a jibe at Sidhu - a Jatt Sikh - up for the state party chief post as opposed to Tewari, who has been backed by CM Capt Amarinder Singh for the post as a 'Hindu face'.

Moreover, sources stated that top leaders in Captain Amarinder's camp allegedly feel that appointing a man who is known to be a 'friend' of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa is 'a big mistake'. Sources state that the Punjab CM is worried of alienating the Hindu vote bank in Punjab by Sidhu's elevation. In-charge Harish Rawat has stated that the High Command is yet to take a call on state party chief.

Sidhu Vs Capt

After a tumultuous spat with CM Captain Amarinder Singh during the Lok Sabha elections, Sidhu had sent his resignation on June 10 to the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and tweeted about the same a month later. On June 6, Sidhu was demoted to which the cricketer-turned-politician responded by tendering his resignation as Punjab minister, but remained with the Congress. Sidhu has been at loggerheads with the Punjab Chief Minister after he denied Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections.

He and his wife have publically attacked the Punjab CM repeatedly during the election campaign. He later patched up with CM Amarinder Singh over an informal lunch, but it seems to have gone awry as Sidhu began to attack the CM again after the Punjab & Haryana HC quashed the SIT probe into the 2015 firing cases on April 9. He has targeted the CM for not acting against key Shiromani Akali Dal leaders in the same case. Recently, the Amritsar East MLA has taken to Twitter to advise the CM to cut down on power costs, tweeting several radical suggestions. As the High Command mulls appointing Sidhu as state party chief, Singh has refused to accommodate Sidhu as state party chief, offering to induct him in the cabinet if needed.