The Congress crisis in Punjab that started with the removal of Captain Amarinder Singh as chief minister seems to have paused for now with an olive branch to state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in form of a committee to look at his complaints. Throughout the saga, new Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has emerged as a calm and smooth player who has not exhibited signs of being ruffled nor used any harsh words against Sidhu.
Channi was in the state secretariat on the afternoon of September 28, going personally from room to room to be present as the new ministers took charge, when Sidhu dropped the resignation bombshell via a tweet around 3 pm. Channi learnt of the same but continued with the exercise he was doing — handing over bouquets to new ministers and helping them to their chair.
Within 30 minutes, Channi held a scheduled press conference where asked about Sidhu’s resignation, he said he had full faith in the state unit chief and pressed that Sidhu was not upset with him. He avoided any adverse comment or outburst against Sidhu. Channi deputed ministers Pargat Singh and Raja Amrinder Warring to go to Patiala and meet Sidhu.
Sources said Channi’s idea was to let Sidhu “cool down”, hence he avoided going to Patiala himself. The CM called up Sidhu on September 29 and asked him for a meeting. When Sidhu agreed, the CM invited him to come to Chandigarh to talk. Channi then did another press conference to say Sidhu was “the head of the family” and said he himself “had no ego and was flexible”.
Channi has politely defend the choices of acting DGP Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota and Advocate General APS Deol, though saying that the former did not give any clean chit in an SIT probe to the Badals while the latter may have represented people like former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in his professional capacity. But with Sidhu insistent, Channi has left the call on this to the high command and the committee set up which comprises himself and Sidhu.
In order to resolve matters further, Channi has called for another cabinet meeting on October 4 where some more big decisions could be taken as part of the 18-point agenda prescribed by the Congress high command ahead of elections next year.
But if the DGP and AG are changed, does Channi’s statute go down as it will be seen as a snub to his authority? “The CM is only interested in implementing the agenda spelt out to him by the party high command. He does not want to be distracted… He has no ego over the appointments,” a minister close to the new CM told News18.
Channi Kept at Work Amid Crisis
In midst of the three-day long crisis, Channi kept at his work and agenda, given the government just has a 90-day period to deliver. For instance, he announced waiving off pending electricity bills of small consumers and said his government will convene a special session of the Vidhan Sabha to reject the farm laws if the Union government does not immediately repeal them.
Before this too, Channi has been sending messages through his acts to endear himself to the common man — like stopping mid-way on the road to give money as gift to a newly wedded couple, ordering a significant withdrawal of his security cover, going to a labourer’s house to give him an appointment letter and eating food there and doing impromptu bhangra with students.
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