Navjot Singh Sidhu. (Photo: PTI)
Navjot Singh Sidhu's Twitter handle says 'Sherry (his nick name) on the top' but his ambitions have put him down.
After quitting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Navjot Singh Sidhu's dream to be a Punjab Chief Minister turned sour as he failed to pull down the political heavyweight Captain Amrinder Singh.
Challenging the political bastions of Captain Amrinder Singh cost dear to Navjot Singh Sidhu who was forced to resign after Captain refused to buckle under pressure being mounted by Sidhu through his theatrics and pressure tactics.
Navjot Singh Sidhu had started drawing a parallel line ever since he had joined the Congress way back in 2017. He tried to project himself as Captain's rival and projected himself as the chief minister of Punjab but the dreams were shattered as Captain dominated the scene.
Navjot Singh Sidhu then wanted to be a Deputy Chief Minister but Captain refused to budge.
Sidhu continued to mount pressure on Captain Amrinder Singh by projecting himself as one very close to the Gandhis.
Under this illusion, he even declared that his Captain was Rahul Gandhi.
This was first time when Sidhu openly challenged Captain's authority. He went to Pakistan two times against the wish of Captain Amrinder Singh.
Sidhu not only became a villain in the eyes of the common Indians after he hugged the Pakistan Army Chief general Bajwa but also annoyed Captain Amarinder Singh.
Sherry tried to justify his Pak trips in the name of Kartarpur Corridor but it backfired.
Sidhu caused a major embarrassment to his own government and the party when he openly accused that Captain and Badals were playing a friendly match in Lok Sabha elections.
Sidhu couple's outburst on the issue of Mrs Navjot Kaur's party ticket further angered Captain. Both had spilled the beans accusing Amrinder Singh of blocking Mrs Sidhu's LS ticket from Chandigarh.
Captain Amrinder Singh- who was silent till this allegation was levelled - became vocal against Sidhus. Demand came from the Captain camp to punish Sidhu for his outburst and the controversial statement which hurt the party in LS polls.
Sidhu absented himself from the poll campaigning and only addressed a couple of rallies in his home state despite being a party's star campaigner. All these things went against him.
Sidhu opened a direct front against Captain Amrinder Singh saying loss or profit was a collective responsibility. He stopped attending cabinet meetings which further aggravated the situation.
Captain and his camp held Sidhu responsible for party's poor show in urban segments which was challenged by Sidhu.
He also became defensive and said 'he cannot be taken for granted".
Captain camp started demanding action against Sidhu for indiscipline. Captain had also announced he will review Sidhu's performance. Sidhu raised a voice again and said he was being singled out for not toeing Captain's line. Captain went ahead and divested Sidhu of his portfolio but was not stripped of the status of a cabinet minister.
Miffed Sidhu approached Rahul Gandhi and offered to resign. Rahul is believed to have offered him a party General Secretary's post which Sidhu refused and demanded restoration of the charge of his old department besides the post of state president. Then came the demand for a Deputy Chief Minister's post.
Sidhu's demands fell flat and he was left alone. None of the Punjab ministers backed him as the demands were not justified. Sidhu in this tug of war finally hanged his boots and resigned but the theatrics continued.
Sidhu is at the crossroads again. His political career is at stake. He had joined Congress with the sole ambition to become the Chief Minister but his greed landed him in a trouble.
Punjab's small parties like Lok Insaf Party and Punjabi Ekta Party are now offering Sidhu a chief ministerial candidature for 2022 elections after he tendered his resignation.
"There is nothing wrong in dreaming big. Sidhu is intelligent and can bring a change but one should be disciplined and respect the chief minister first," says Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Cabinet Minister Animal Husbandry department.
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