Navjot Singh Sidhu summoned to Delhi by Congress top brass: Reports

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who resigned as the party's Punjab unit chief last month, has been summoned to Delhi by the high command, reports said on October 12.

Sidhu would be meeting Congress' Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal at 6 pm on October 14, the reports claimed.

Sidhu, on September 28, stepped down as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president. His shock resignation was attributed to the differences with the chief minister over inclusion of new faces in the state cabinet.

"The collapse of a man's character stems from the compromise corner. I can never compromise on Punjab's future and the agenda for the welfare of Punjab," Sidhu had said in his resignation letter.

The former cricketer-turned-politician had, however, noted that he "will continue to serve the Congress".

Following Sidhu's resignation, it was learnt that the Congress top brass has asked the party's state unit to attempt at resolving the matter without their intervention.

A meeting took place between Sidhu and CM Charanjit Singh Channi on October 1, with party sources expressing the possibility of Sidhu reassuming his charge as the Punjab unit chief.

However, 12 days later, Sidhu is yet to rescind his decision to resign as the PCC president.

The chaos within the ruling Congress in Punjab has erupted months before the assembly polls in the state. The party is facing a challenge from traditional rival Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which has partnered with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which is currently the prime opposition party in the state legislative assembly.

Notably, Sidhu was elevated as the Punjab Congress chief on July 18, amid his ongoing feud against the then chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

Singh, who alleged that he was "humiliated by the party", resigned on September 18. Subsequently, Channi who was backed by Sidhu was announced as his replacement.

While Sidhu supported Channi as the chief minister, he was, according to a News 18 report, believed to be upset over the inclusion of MLAs like Aruna Chaudhary in the rejigged Cabinet. He was also disappointed over the non-inclusion of PCC's Scheduled Caste (SC) department head Raj Kunar Chhabewal in the government, the report claimed.