Channi ahead in CM face race as Congress eyes Punjab

Charanjit Singh Channi is likely to be declared the Congress chief ministerial face for the Assembly polls. But his rival Navjot Sidhu may make life difficult for the party if he loses out.

When the Enforcement Directorate on Friday arrested Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's nephew in a money laundering case linked to illegal sand mining, the Congress leadership lost no time in falling behind the CM.

Priyanka Gandhi, who is trying to revive the flailing party in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, slammed the development as "misuse" of agencies by the Modi government to "pressurise" opposition leaders.

Also Read | Rahul Gandhi expected to announce Cong's CM face for Punjab polls on Sunday

The party said the 'Election Department' (ED) of the BJP has become busy again.

Back home in Amritsar, there were rumblings within the Congress itself. Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, a bitter rival of Channi in the race to be declared the CM face, cryptically said, "People at the top want a weak chief minister who can dance to their tunes. Do you want such a CM?"

The message was interpreted as aimed at the Congress leadership but was later clarified as meant to target the central government.

The tussle for becoming the CM face between the two leaders is no secret, but the Congress leadership seems to have decided to go with the incumbent chief minister in the state which has a 31% Dalit population but never had a CM from the community.

Channi in all probability will be officially declared as the CM face in presence of Rahul Gandhi in Ludhiana on Sunday (February 6). The mercurial Sidhu may have sensed the writing on the wall, and in Amritsar he made one last ditch attempt.

"If a new Punjab has to be made, it is in the hands of the chief minister. You have to choose the CM this time. If you make an honest person sit at the top, then honesty will percolate down below,” he said.

Also Read | Punjab CM's face to decide whether 60 contestants become MLAs, says Navjot Sidhu

For the Congress, Sidhu is a problem that will not go away so easily.

The unpredictable leader had spearheaded the campaign against Amarinder Singh, who was accused of being inaccessible, and was responsible for his ouster from the CM post in a months-long drama (Amarinder went on to form his own outfit and hitched his wagon to the BJP).

With the Punjab Congress bitterly divided, the party pulled a rabbit out of the bag and named Channi as CM as a compromise formula.

Now, with polls round the corner, it would be a political blunder and bad optics in Punjab and beyond if the party just casts Dalit leader Channi away to appease the ambitious Sidhu.

While Sidhu has kept on harping that his hands should not be tied and he should not be treated as a showpiece, the Congress leadership seems to have decided in favour of Channi over “mercurial Sidhu” as part of a larger Dalit outreach plan not only in Punjab but also in UP and elsewhere.

But the situation is still fluid and last-minute surprises can’t be ruled out.

Sidhu told TV channels that “picture abhi baaki hai”, even while repeatedly saying he will remain in the Congress.

One formula being talked about is rotational chief ministership of 2.5 years each, first Channi and then Sidhu, to broker peace. Clearly, the confusion will be cleared only on Sunday.

Dalit assertion

Punjab politics has been traditionally dominated by the Jat Sikh community, which had virtually monopolised the CM's seat. In these circumstances, it is a big gamble for the Congress to pitch a Dalit CM as it could very well alienate the upper castes and push them into embracing the AAP, which is looking to make a big splash in the Assembly polls.

According to an agriculture census data report, Jat Sikhs control all resources, such as farming space in the agrarian state and make up the largest number of NRIs from the state.

Political assertion, however, has not been very pronounced among the community in Punjab, which is also the birthplace of Kanshi Ram. The BSP founder instead chose Uttar Pradesh to experiment with Dalit politics and succeeded in making Mayawati chief minister way back in 1995.

Mayawati's BSP has now allied with Shiromani Akali Dal, whose political stock is at an all-time low after the drubbing it received in the last state polls.

The Congress, which was facing a strong anti-incumbency after a five-year tenure of its now-ousted chief minister Amarinder Singh, may have sensed trouble with this new alliance.

This may also have been a factor behind its decision to name a Dalit as Chief Minister, thereby capitalising on the rising political aspirations of the community.

This choice has also had an effect on other two contenders. Both the AAP and the SAD have promised a Deputy CM from Dalit community if they win the polls.

The Congress had earlier sought to do a balancing act by proposing a Dalit CM, and one deputy CM each from Jat Sikh and Hindu community in the run up to the polls. Party sources said that this formula is expected to be followed even after the polls if the Congress wins.

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