New Delhi: Following the expulsion of his wife and former MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu from the Congress, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu finds himself in an unenviable position within the party.
A day after Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who had long been on a tirade against the Congress high command, called Rahul Gandhi ‘pappu’, the party expelled her.
“Pappu has finally put a stamp on his name. A leader who thinks that he is the only honest and knowledgeable person, totally unaware of the ground realities. People working for him in his inner circle succeed in keeping him in exile and enjoying the luxuries of life, selling tickets long before he takes any decision. He takes more than six months to react to an emergency call, by which time loss is inevitable (sic),” she posted.
The party terminated Navjot Kaur Sidhu’s membership Friday, after a month-long period of intense hostility with the Congress leadership, from state president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring to party chief Rahul Gandhi.
Now, Sidhu’s future in the party is a toss-up, with his chances of remaining with the Congress looking increasingly slim.
When contacted, Warring told ThePrint that the answer can only be provided by the party high command.
Last week, after Navjot Kaur attacked Warring, calling him the most horrific, incapable and corrupt president, Warring had suggested that she should get herself treated.
She responded, saying, “Raja Warring, it’s you who needs treatment. I am a doctor and know that you are mentally unstable.”
Sidhu hardly enjoys a comfortable position within the party in Punjab. A former cabinet minister in the Captain Amarinder Singh ministry, Sidhu briefly headed the party in the state, ahead of the 2022 assembly elections. Since his removal as head following the Congress’s debacle in the elections, he has neither reconciled with the state party leadership nor publicly broken with the high command, from where he has drawn most of his political authority.
Now, with his wife openly attacking Rahul Gandhi, Sidhu’s political clout within the party has weakened considerably.
Senior party leaders told ThePrint that the chapter of the Sidhus in the Congress seems to be “over”. “Navjot Singh Sidhu has not issued any statement whatsoever against his wife’s high-decibel public outbursts against the Congress,” said a senior leader on the condition of anonymity. “That only means that he is completely supportive of her.”
During her outburst against the Congress last month, Navjot Kaur Sidhu dropped a bombshell allegation—“an attache full of Rs 500 crore” has to be handed out to become the chief minister in Punjab.
She also said that Sidhu will return to active politics for the Congress only if the party makes him the CM face in the state. She rued the infighting within the party, saying that “there are already five chief ministers (faces of the Congress) who are busy making the party lose”.
Close aides of the Sidhu family told ThePrint that the possibility of Sidhu remaining with the Congress is almost negligible. “He is not interested in taking up a position that is not at the top. He has already committed himself to television through contracts lasting several years, which he cannot leave. Which means that he intends to remain absent from active politics,” said the aide.
There’s also private acknowledgement within the party that Sidhu might eventually leave Congress, as no one seems to be willing to elevate him to the position of a core decision-maker or the CM face.
“Punjab Congress leadership too is showing little enthusiasm for Sidhu’s return to active politics, mostly preferring to project unity under the state unit rather than accommodate a crumbling faction. Sidhu has been relatively absent from frontline electoral politics since losing his assembly seat in 2022 to the AAP’s Jeevan Jyot Kaur in Amritsar East—a symbolic defeat that highlighted his reduced grassroots traction,” said Dr Kanwalpreet Kaur of the department of political science of DAV College, Sector 10, Chandigarh.
Apart from her open revolt against the Congress, Navjot Kaur Sidhu has been warming up to the BJP, taking to social media to appreciate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his achievements.
Technically, still in the Congress, Sidhu’s political future has become additionally precarious since his wife took a clear position in favour of the BJP.
With Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah expected to visit Punjab this month, speculation is rife about Navjot Kaur Sidhu joining the BJP.
“The more important question is if the BJP is ready to take Mr Sidhu as well or not? Sidhu is still a recognised leader with emotional appeal, but he lacks a clear electoral constituency now,” added Dr Kanwalpreet.
Only a year to go before the next assembly polls, Sidhu is looking outside active politics, considering that he now has no dominant position within the party, with institutional support seeming nearly impossible.
“BJP is trying to expand its footprint in Punjab. Sidhu’s presence could still draw attention, provided he has a clear platform and organisational backing. The BJP is likely to see Sidhu as a useful face, given his populist appeal, public recall, and media coverage—but the vital question is whether he can deliver votes in Punjab, said Professor Manjit Singh, formerly of the department of sociology, Panjab University, Chandigarh.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: Sukhbir Singh Badal didn’t win Tarn Taran. But results recognise his party as real Akali Dal