New Delhi: Hours after Navjot Singh Sidhu hit out at Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, for “singling him out” for the Congress’ defeat in Punjab’s urban areas, the cricketer-turned-politician was divested of his local government portfolio, which governs urban areas, and handed the power and renewable energy department.
Sidhu has also been divested of his tourism, cultural affairs and museums portfolio. He was among 14 of the 18 Punjab ministers who were reshuffled Thursday evening. Senior leader Brahm Mohindra has now been handed the local government ministry.
Political experts said the Congress appears to have appeased both sides.
“Sidhu should be satisfied with this portfolio,” said Chandigarh-based political analyst Jagtar Singh. “But for his ego, it may be a punishment because the criteria of the reshuffle was performance.”
According to Singh, the move shows that the Congress knows it can’t ignore Sidhu. “Power is a lucrative portfolio,” he said. “We need to remember when (Surjeet Singh) Barnala took over as CM in 1985, former CM Prakash Singh Badal wanted the power and irrigation portfolio.”
Earlier in the day, Sidhu had exempted himself from the first cabinet meeting of the Punjab government following the Lok Sabha elections, and had broken his silence on the ongoing tiff between him and Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh.
Sidhu hit out at the chief minister for singularly blaming him for the Congress’ poor performance in Punjab’s urban areas, saying the party could not take him for granted.
“I was always taught the concept of collective responsibility — we swim together, we sink together,” Sidhu told the media Thursday afternoon. “But my department has been singled out. I have been singled out… I will defend my name, my credibility and my performance very fiercely.”
Sidhu added that he had been a consistent performer for the last 40 years, and highlighted his electoral policy successes at the press conference to deny Amarinder’s claims.
Last month in an interview to a TV channel, Amarinder said the urban vote bank had been the backbone of the Congress in Punjab but “Sidhu’s failure to do any development work as urban bodies minister” had impacted the party.
“I intend to change Sidhu’s portfolio for his inept handling of his department,” the chief minister had said after election results were announced on 23 May.
The party won 8 of the 13 seats in Punjab, bettering its tally of three in 2014.
Also read: Amarinder blames Sidhu for ‘poor’ Congress showing in Punjab’s urban areas
The root of the tiff
Sidhu and Amarinder, two of the Congress’ most recognised leaders, have been locked in a war of words since the party denied the former cricketer’s wife, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, a ticket from Chandigarh.
Kaur had alleged Amarinder’s hand in foiling her nomination from the Union Territory, telling journalists in Amritsar that Capt and Asha Kumari, the Congress’ in charge for Punjab, didn’t think her deserving of an MP ticket.
Amarinder had denied her allegations, pointing out that he had no role in the decision-making for the Chandigarh ticket. He added that Kaur was asked to contest from Bathinda or Amritsar, but she refused.
Even so, Sidhu echoed his wife’s claim at a press conference on 17 May. “My wife would never lie,” he said when asked about her statement. “My wife has that much strength and moral authority that she will never lie.”
Amarinder lashed out on 19 May, saying Sidhu wanted to replace him as chief minister, and that he had asked the party high command to take action against the TV celebrity.
“His ill-timed comments against me and the Punjab Congress leadership have damaged the party,” Amarinder had told journalists. “If he is a real Congressmen, he should have chosen a better time to air his grievances instead of just ahead of voting in Punjab. Perhaps he is ambitious and wants to be chief minister.”
Also read: Modi sticks with Harsimrat Kaur Badal, picks her over husband Sukhbir