Farmers Movement Archive

Watch: Navjot Sidhu takes charge as Punjab Congress' chief, takes stage in cricketer style

Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday took the reins of Congress' Punjab unit as the party president in the presence of chief minister Amarinder Singh, marking the end of a bitter infight. The cricketer-turned-politician, who was appointed as the Punjab unit chief on Sunday by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, was seen getting up from his chair, warming up with a batting move he displayed during his time as a cricket player and heading towards the dais to address party workers as Amarinder Singh looked on.#WATCH: Newly appointed Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu mimics a batting style as he proceeds to address the gathering at Punjab Congress Bhawan in Chandigarh. (Source: Punjab Congress Facebook page) pic.twitter.com/ZvfXlOBOqiAfter taking charge at the state Congress headquarters, Sidhu said there is no difference between an ordinary worker of the party and its state unit chief. "Every Congress worker in Punjab has become the chief of the party's state unit from today," the Amritsar (East) MLA said.Even as Sidhu and Amarinder Singh managed to put the issue aside and come together for the Punjab Congress unit's reshuffle, the two leaders were not seen talking during the ceremony and while getting photos clicked.Capt Amarinder recalled the Patiala ties with Sidhu and said: “I was commissioned in the army, the year Sidhu was born. When my mother asked me to enter politics, his (Sidhu’s) father helped me. I used to go to his house when he was about six years old.”Sidhu met the chief minister hours before the ceremony at Punjab Bhawan over a cup of tea in what has been termed as a cordial meeting between the two. This was the first time in nearly four months that Sidhu and Singh met each other.The Congress party has attempted the reshuffle ahead of the assembly elections scheduled for next year. The party is eyeing to retain power in Punjab as other players like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) try to gain ground. The Congress party is fiercely backing farmers protesting the three central farm laws in the state, amping up the pitch against the BJP-led government.

Hindustan Times

23-07-2021

India