New Delhi: As cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu declared himself a ‘born Congessman’ on Monday, Punjab Congress leaders are worried the image of “infighting” between Sidhu and former CM Amarinder Singh may hurt the party’s chances.
A senior Congress leader told News 18 that all was not well since an “ageing Captain” saw Sidhu as a potential threat in the future. To allay fears among supporters, the Congress is planning a high-octane campaign with both leaders sharing the stage in a ‘show of unity’.
“Sidhu is an effective campaigner and people turn up in droves to listen to him. Our ground campaign could use that kind of energy. However, news of a rift between him and Captain Sahib is hurting the party among some supporters. While the rift is exaggerated, it is important for us to put an end to these rumors. This week onwards, Sidhu will start campaigning for the party. Captain Amarinder Singh will accompany him when he goes to file his nomination. The two will appear side-by-side at a bunch of other campaign events. This will help us project an image of unity,” a senior Congress leader said.
Another AICC leader, however, said things were much worse than they appeared. “We needed somebody like Sidhu because we have to think of the future as well. Captain is ageing and he has already declared that this is his last election. We need youthful energy in our campaign and Captain can’t provide that. He is mindful of the fact and may think that he is being phased out. There isn’t an open war, as is being portrayed, but we need to be careful to not alienate either of them.”
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) sought to play down the impact that Sidhu would have on the election. SAD MP Naresh Gujral said, “We don’t even consider Sidhu a serious contender. Everyone knows that he would not even be elected if it wasn’t for the Akali Dal. He has performed very poorly as an MP and even his wife is unpopular. Forget about impacting the election, Sidhu would be lucky if he even manages to win his own seat in Amritsar East. We may disagree with Amarinder Singh on many things but at least he has some political standing. Congress would be foolish to take Sidhu seriously.”
Sidhu was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004 and he won by a margin of over 1 lakh votes and a vote share of 55.38%. In the 2007 bypoll, his vote share dipped to 50% and his margin of victory slipped too. In 2009, he secured a slim victory over the Congress and won by just over 3,000 votes.
AAP spokesperson Deepak Vajpayee was also dismissive of Sidhu’s potential impact. “Sidhu Ji fought the Congress all his life and now he has joined the enemy. The people of the region may never forgive him for joining the party behind the carnage of 1984. Besides, it’s an open secret that Amarinder Singh is resentful of Sidhu. This is addition to the 35 seats where local Congress units are in open war against each other. At this stage, Sidhu’s entry may do more harm than good to an already fragmented Congress.”
Analysts, however, say that in addition to being an effective campaigner Sidhu would be instrumental for the Congress in the Majha region, which comprises the key districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot. Majha, which comprises 25 assembly seats, has long been the Congress’s Achilles’s heel. In 2012, the party managed to win only eight of these seats, which was better than 2007 when it won three.
Professor Ashutosh Kumar from the Department of Political Science at Punjab University (PU), said, “Congress has always performed poorly in Majha because it is a citadel of Sikh politics in Punjab. For that reason, it has always been the stronghold of the Akalis and of the Majithia family. This time, Sidhu may actually help the Congress break that fortress. As a Jatt-Sikh, he has an appeal among the people and his wife has done well as the local legislator. Besides, Bikram Singh Majithia was instrumental in ensuring that Sidhu does not get to fight from Amritsar in 2014 so the two have a natural enmity. As far as the infighting is concerned, I think they will manage to curb it. Even Captain knows that this is a do-or-die battle for Congress. They cannot afford open warfare.”
Amarinder Singh Raja Brar, Youth Congress national president and Gidderbaha MLA, played down reports of a rift. He said, “Sidhu Ji joining the party is only going to add to the party’s strength. We have been raising our voice against the Akali-BJP combine and a firebrand like Sidhu will ensure that the message reaches far and wide. As far as reports of infighting are concerned, they are totally false. Everyone is working for the development of Punjab and nobody in Congress is bigger than the party itself.”
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