Navjot Singh Sidhu, a disgruntled Congress politician, met with party leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday evening in Delhi, amid allegations of turmoil in the party’s Punjab branch ahead of the state Assembly elections next year.
The meeting takes place on the same day that Sidhu met with Congress national secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in what the Punjab politician has described as a “long meeting.” This morning, Priyanka had a meeting with Sidhu at her home.
Following her meeting with Sidhu, Priyanka travelled to Rahul Gandhi’s house for a 40-45-minute conversation, according to news agency ANI.
Following this set of meetings with Rahul, Priyanka met with Sidhu at her home once again.
After Sidhu, who is critical of party leader and Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, accused him of collaborating with the Badals of the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Congress’ arch-rival in Punjab, the fractures from the infighting became visible to the public.
Sidhu landed in Delhi on Monday in preparation for his meeting with the Gandhis. The meeting has been called pivotal for the party, which does not want to lose the cricketer-turned-politician.
Rahul Gandhi has sought to address the Congress’ Punjab unit’s increasing factionalism. Last week, he met with over 20 state party officials in one-on-one sessions.
Sonia Gandhi, the Congress’s leader, created a three-member committee to work out the differences. The tribunal recommended that Sidhu be accommodated in the state unit in its June 10 report.
Sidhu has indicated interest in becoming the state unit commander. However, the chief minister, the party’s top vote-getter in the election-bound state, is opposed to the proposal. Sidhu resigned from the state Cabinet in July 2019 due to differences between the two.
In their most recent spat, former Punjab minister Sidhu challenged CM Singh on May 21 to show that he had met with any other party’s leader with the purpose of switching sides.
“Prove one meeting I had with the leader of another political party. I have never asked anyone for any post till date. All I seek is Punjab’s prosperity. Was invited and offered Cabinet berths many times but I did not accept. Now, our esteemed high command has intervened, Will wait,” the Amritsar East MLA tweeted.
Following allegations that the Congress central leadership was attempting to rehabilitate the MLA who had resigned as minister after being stripped of the local bodies portfolio in 2019, Amarinder and Sidhu met over tea in March. Following the meeting, Amarinder expressed confidence in Sidhu’s return to his government.
