Turf war with Channi cost Balbir Sidhu his cabinet berth, say party insiders

Former health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu failed to find a place in the new Punjab cabinet on Sunday; it is being attributed to his strained relations with CM Charanjit Singh Channi and closeness to Amarinder Singh

Former health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, who failed to find a place in the new Punjab cabinet on Sunday, paid the price for his closeness to former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and strained relations with the incumbent, Charanjit Singh Channi, according to party insiders.

Sidhu has been engaged in a turf war with Channi in Kharar and Mohali for two decades, say sources.

Channi and Sidhu have been engaged in a turf war for two decades, which first surfaced when the former was the Kharar MC president and latter had contested the assembly elections from Kharar in 2002. The rift only widened with time, say sources within the party.

Since 2007, Sidhu has won the Mohali seat three times in a row, and after the Congress formed the government in 2017, he was awarded with a cabinet berth. His clout kept increasing under Amarinder’s tutelage, and even his brother Amarjit Singh Sidhu managed to get elected as the Mohali mayor this year.

However, the municipal polls again pitted Sidhu against Channi, who too had fielded his brother Sukhwant Singh Sukha from Kharar. After Sukha’s loss, Channi apparently blamed Sidhu, said a senior Congress leader, who did not wish to be named.

“Why will Channi now make two power centres in Mohali by inducting Sidhu in the cabinet,” said the party leader.

‘Paid price for closeness to Capt’

Former Congress district president Rajinder Singh Rana said: “Sidhu’s closeness to Capt Amarinder cost him the cabinet berth. But, the high command should consider seniority and not personal grudges.”

Deepinder Singh Dhillon, president, district Congress committee, Mohali, said Sidhu led from the front as the health minister, and looking at his seniority, he should have been included in the cabinet.

Mohali deputy mayor Kuljeet Singh Bedi said: “How can the high command ignore a senior person, who has done exemplary work as a minister and played an important role in Mohali’s development. His exclusion is Mohali’s loss.”

Addressing the media on Sunday, Sidhu too got emotional and said: “What was my fault? I have worked hard as a minister during Covid-19.” He said he may not be a minister anymore, but the people of Mohali will remain his strength.