Many years ago, a well-known senior politician, then a minister, was taken to court by one of his detractors, alleging that the minister was mentally unstable. By way of proof, the complainant cited apparent inconsistencies in the stand taken by the said politician on the same subject. The lawyer defending the minister submitted that the inconsistencies, far from being an indication of mental imbalance, were a sign of genius.
A similar question bothering many today is whether Navjot Singh Sidhu is a comedian among politicians or a politician among comedians. I remember one of his fellow cricket commentators saying after a showdown with him on a Live TV show that every line Sidhu speaks is scripted. This was corroborated by a friend who once travelled with Sidhu on a plane. He said Sidhu was making copious notes and memorising lines throughout the flight.
It may be a stretch to call Sidhu a genius, but he is not as much of a maverick as he appears. Behind his mercurial façade he is shrewd and calculative. The young Gandhis were taken in by his cultivated sycophancy and consummate buffoonery into thinking that he could be used and thrown out as another ‘tea-bag’.
Sidhu had made no secret of his ambitions in Congress. He figured out the uneasy relationship between Captain Amarinder Singh and the Gandhi scion. He provoked and baited the Captain periodically to earn brownie points with the palace. He pushed the envelope by going to Pakistan for Imran Khan’s swearing-in and embracing Pakistan Army Chief General Bajwa with a Punjabi 'Jadu Ki Jhappi'. The lack of reprimand from Delhi, despite his own chief minister’s express disapproval, was interpreted by him as a tacit approval of the insouciance. At some point, Sidhu started believing he was the chief minister-in-waiting as the Captain’s days were numbered.
From all accounts and analyses, Punjab was in the bag of the Congress. It was, therefore, far too tempting for the Gandhis not to position their own man (or woman) for the top job. For a cash-strapped party, a rich state like Punjab would be the proverbial golden goose. Besides, the farmer agitation gave Congress a handle to mount pressure on the Modi government. To achieve that, it was imperative to ease out Amarinder Singh before the elections so that he could not stake his claim to another term after the near-certain victory. While Sidhu could be the chosen instrument for a surgical strike to remove the Captain, knowing the Gandhis they would not have closed their options for the next chief minister. Here, Sidhu may have erred in assuming that chief minister’s chair was a done deal if he succeeded in getting rid of Singh as per the wishes of the omnipotent high command.
Now comes Charanjit Singh Channi, the wild card. Though palace courtiers would like to spin it as a “master-stroke” of their 'non-playing captain' Rahul Gandhi, it could well have been a compromise choice after a day of intense inner-party logrolling. This was Sidhu’s mistake No. 2. Full marks to the person (Harish Rawat?) who sold Sidhu the idea that Channi would be his proxy, like – if one may say it – Manmohan Singh was for Sonia Gandhi.
If Sidhu was lulled into swallowing the assurance of Channi being just a placeholder for him till the next elections, the Gandhis were naïve in falling for the 'masterstroke; theory and not anticipating the impending fallout. The sharp grass-roots politician he is, Channi was quick to seize the day. Congress walked into his parlour, as it were, by overplaying the Dalit CM card. Channi quickly realised that the party had inadvertently applied Fevicol on his chief minister’s chair and they would find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to dislodge him – without seriously hurting its Dalit vote-bank not just in Punjab but in other states as well. With just four months to go for the elections, he hit the ground running, promptly asserting his own identity.
Questions are being asked about why Sidhu decided to throw down the gauntlet so soon, even before the ink had dried on the gazette announcing the new cabinet and other appointments like that of the Advocate General and Director-General of Police. The reasons are the same as that of Channi – Sidhu does not have the luxury of time. Allowing Channi to settle down in his seat could permanently ruin his prospects for the coveted job. Even if he put his weight behind the campaign and ensured a victory for Congress – there would have been no guarantee of the prize post after the elections. Besides, unlike the BJP, the Congress cannot even offer him the consolation prize of a Cabinet post at the centre. Therefore, he had little option but to go for the jugular and go for a sixer even at the risk of being caught at the boundary or getting out hit wicket.
This leaves Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi between a rock and a hard place. Sidhu may be dispensable but the questions he has raised won't go away, particularly that of the appointment of Rana Gurjeet Singh, a politician with a chequered past. With an alienated Amarinder Singh, a disenchanted Sunil Jakhar and seething SS Randhawa, a hostile Sidhu can only spell disaster for the Congress. Satraps like Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel for whom the Punjab example was meant to serve as a warning are watching closely.
Meanwhile, the Captain is enjoying his cup of tea with Amit Shah in Delhi.
The author is a columnist and commentator on current affairs. Views expressed are personal.
September 29, 2021 at 09:44PM
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