Punjab was the Congress’ consolation prize in the recent assembly elections; the BJP is forming government in all the four others, including Uttar Pradesh. For Captain Amarinder Singh, 77, it will be a second stint as Chief Minister in a state where the Congress has been out of power for a decade.
Navjot Singh Sidhu was number 2 on a list of nine ministers who took oath today along with Amarinder Singh, who was sworn-in as Punjab’s new Chief Minister. The positioning is seen to suggest that Mr Sidhu, acquired by the Congress just before the assembly elections, is unlikely to be Deputy Chief Minister, a post he has been keen on.
Captain Amarinder Singh was sworn in with his nine new cabinet ministers at the Punjab Raj Bhavan today. Top Congress leaders including its vice president Rahul Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh are at the venue.
On a list of ministers given to the Punjab Governor for the oath ceremony, the party’s senior-most legislator Brahm Mohindra found first place, Mr Sidhu in second. Four-time lawmaker Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, and the state’s richest legislator Rana Gurjit Singh will also be ministers.
Captain’s cabinet team will also include Manpreet Singh Badal, the estranged nephew of outgoing Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Manpreet Badal was finance minister in the Badal government of the Akali Dal before he drifted away and launched the People’s Party of Punjab, which later merged with the Congress.
The leader of the Congress legislature party Charanjit Singh Channi and Nabha legislator Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, both Dalit leaders, also took oath.
Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Sidhu – who underlined his hopes in the cabinet last week saying “No one can whistle a symphony” – has played safe. He called himself a “soldier of Rahul Gandhi’s army” and spoke about sacrifice: “I will sacrifice myself for Punjab. I want to see Punjab prosper”. Captain Amarinder had made it clear that Rahul Gandhi, and not he would decide on Mr Sidhu’s role.
Any move to make Mr Sidhu Deputy Chief Minister would find disapproval from senior Congress leaders who resent the hype around the newcomer in the party. Some told that it would be unfair to have two leaders from the Malwa region, the same community and from Patiala in top posts, when the party has won big support from Hindu and Dalit voters.
