By Harjeshwar Pal Singh | Opinion |
Charanjit Singh Channi finally beat Navjot Singh Sidhu to the race of CM contender in Punjab Congress.
This must be a bitter pill to swallow for the swaggering Sidhu who had single handedly dethroned Captain Amarinder Singh. Sidhu lost out despite wagging a spirited and even desperate fight for the top crown in Punjab Congress.
His narcissism, emotional outbursts, inaccessibility, inability to form a team around him, opposition of party MLA’s as well as a spirited media campaign against him by all his opponents within and outside the party which portrayed him as an arrogant, petulant, ambitious and unstable individual unsuited for the highest office were largely responsible for his demotion Sidhu’s decline coincided with the unexpected tenacity and nous shown by the unheralded Charanjit Channi as CM where his ability to connect with masses,ability to stage dramatic events with high degree of media support, dalit identity and pliability skyrocketed him to the poll position in Congress politics.
However in the last six months Sidhu also has shown signs of maturing as a politician.Till his elevation as the party president,Sidhu was largely a celebrity accustomed to cameo appearances in politics and little actual accomplishments except the Kartarpur corridor.He was more a hit or miss slogger like Afridi than a reliable batsman he actually was during his cricketing career.But during the last 6 months as a party president he has shown seriousness and vision by his detailed unveiling of his “Punjab Model” and his more willingness to engage people.
Time still is with Navjot. His incorruptible image and raw courage in taking on Mafias of various shades will continue to resonate with Punjabis. As an agent of change who has been checkmated again by fate, circumstance, design and his own vulnerabilities will continue to loom large in the public consciousness. As a fearless orator who can take on Modi ,Yogi and Shah ,he is invaluable for Congress at the national scene.
Should Channi slip and skeletons start tumbling from his cupboard or AAP fail to deliver if they come to power, the star of Sidhu will be on ascendency .He has the tenacity and ability to reinvent himself again and again as his cricketing and subsequent career showed.Whether he will do this one more time remains to be seen because from now onwards he will lack the “halo” of a celebrity and has to act like a Politician —working hard, assembling allies, listening patiently, forming teams and delivering political goods to demanding supporters.
The career of Imran Khan, his Pakistani pal should inspire him who by sheer tenacity, will power and reinvention finally tasted power in 2018 after a struggle of 22 years.
Harjeshwar Pal Singh is an assistant professor at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Chandigarh, where he teaches history. He is an avid political commentator.
RELATED STORY:
Charanjit Singh Channi: First Dalit as Punjab chief minister (Asia Samachar, 20 Sept 2021)
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