Navjot Singh Sidhu to continue as Punjab Congress chief, says issues 'sorted out'

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has assured former party president Rahul Gandhi of withdrawing his resignation as the chief of party's Punjab unit, senior All India Congress Committee (AICC) functionary Harish Rawat said on October 15.

Rawat, who is the AICC in-charge of Punjab, told reporters that Sidhu would be resuming his duties as the president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC).

"He (Sidhu) shared his concerns with Rahul Gandhi. We have told him that his concerns will be taken care of here," Rawat said.

"He assured Rahul Gandhi that he has withdrawn his resignation and he will resume his duties as the PCC president," he further told news agency ANI.

I shared all my concerns with Rahul Gandhi. Everything has been sorted out: Navjot Singh Sidhu after meeting with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi pic.twitter.com/cdd6g6de4W

— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2021

Sidhu, while speaking to reporters, noted that his concerns have been heard by the party's central leadership.

"I shared all my concerns with Rahul Gandhi. Everything has been sorted out," he said.

Notably, Sidhu resigned as the PCC chief on September 28, around two months after assuming the charge.

His resignation was attributed to some of the selections made by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in the new state Cabinet, along with the appointments made to the key administrative posts such as the Advocate General and Director General of Police.

In his resignation letter uploaded on social media, Sidhu had said, "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."

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

Sidhu's elevation as the PCC chief in July came against the backdrop of a hectic intra-party feud involving him and the then chief minister  Captain Amarinder Singh.

Singh, eventually, resigned on September 18 after alleging that he was "humiliated" by the party leadership.

While Sidhu had backed the choice of Channi as the Captain's successor, his differences with the new CM emerged barely a couple of days after he took charge.

After Sidhu resigned on September 28, the party high command had not accepted his resignation. The Congress' state unit was asked to attempt at resolving the matter at their level before the high command's intervention.

A meeting was arranged between Sidhu and Channi on October 1, which party sources had described as a positive development. However, Sidhu had refrained from officially withdrawing his resignation. Notably, the rumblings within the Congress' state unit continue even as the state is barely three-four months away from the next assembly polls. The incumbent ruling 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.