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From PPCC chief to Patiala jail inmate: Spectacular rise and fall of Sidhu in 10 months
In the last 10 months, Sidhu not only lost his post as the state Congress chief, but also his political clout. And to make the matters worse, he failed to retain his Amritsar East assembly seat before landing in the Patiala jail in a road rage case
Patiala: From being appointed as the Punjab Congress chief to losing assembly elections and being asked to step down and now facing a year’s jail term in the 1988 road rage case, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu’s luck has behaved with severe volatility from meteoric rise to a steep fall.
Ten months ago, Sidhu was a name to reckon with in the Punjab politics, when the Congress, after ignoring the advice its tallest leader and then chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, made him the Punjab Congress president on July 18, 2021, and he was the frontrunner for the CM’s post.
In the last 10 months, Sidhu not only lost his post as the state Congress chief, but also his political clout. And to make the matters worse, he failed to retain his Amritsar East assembly seat before landing in the Patiala jail in a road rage case.
The way he plotted the unceremonious exit of former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Sidhu met the same fate as he was asked to put in his papers by AICC president Sonia Gandhi after the Congress faced a crushing defeat at the hands of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the February 20 state elections, winning only 18 of the 117 assembly seats.
Sidhu had been eyeing the CM’s berth after Captain’s exit, but the party high command chose to appoint Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit face, to the top post on September 19, 2021.
However, in the run up to polls, Sidhu made his pitch to be declared as the CM face. In November, Sidhu announced that the party’s CM face will be decided by the people and not the party. He also challenged Channi’s governance, questioning the actions taken by him since assuming the office.
Sidhu attacked Channi on Behbal Kalan incident, selection of advocate general and registration of an FIR in the drug case against Bikram Singh Majithia. The day Channi doled out some freebies, Sidhu dubbed it a drama and started damaging the party. In return, party also dented his political career by not announcing him as the CM face and instead reposed faith in Channi.
“It has been a tough year for Sidhu. Now, the question arises if he will be able to bounce back after coming out of the jail,” said a Congress leader.
Former MLA Navtej Singh Cheema said: “It’s not all over for Sidhu. He is in jail for only a year. He has been sentenced in a road rage case which took place 34 years ago and not for any drug smuggling or a corruption case. Everyone knows he is honest man, have an intent to do something better for Punjab. He will eventually bounce back,”
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Sidhu to undergo rigorous imprisonment
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu is inmate number 1,37,683 in the Patiala jail, where his arch rival, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, is also lodged in a drugs case. Sidhu is lodged in barrack number 10, along with four other inmates.
“He is in high spirits and cooperating. There is no special meal for him. If a doctor advises any special meal, he can buy it from the jail canteen or cook himself,” said a prison department official. He said Majithia is lodged in a separate barrack but both are in the high-security zone. On the first night, Sidhu skipped dinner saying he had already taken his diet. He took some medicine.
Sidhu has to undergo rigorous imprisonment in the jail, meaning that he has to work as per the jail manual. According to the jail manual, an unskilled inmate gets ₹40 per day and skilled ₹60 per day.
