Is Congress ready with ‘Plan B’? Sunil Jakhar may be appointed next Punjab unit chief

According to Congress sources, Jakhar has a good chance than others since he enjoys the support of former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and shares a good rapport with all the party's MLAs in Punjab.

Chandigarh: Congress leader Sunil Jakhar may be appointed as the next Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief if efforts to placate Navjot Singh Sidhu fail, sources said on Wednesday. Congress top brass, according to sources, is also considering the names of two-time MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra, party MP Ravneet Singh Bittu besides Sunil Jakhar for the post of Punjab unit chief.

According to Congress sources, Jakhar has a good chance than others since he enjoys the strong support of former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and shares a good rapport with all the MLAs of the party in Punjab.

Though the party has reached out to Sidhu and directed the state leadership to resolve all issues at their level, the cricketer-politician has refused to budge an inch from his stated position.

Singh on Wednesday released a new video in which he said that he will keep fighting for the truth till the last breath. The Congress central leadership has, meanwhile, sent Harish Rawat, its Punjab in-charge, to speak with Sidhu and resolve the matter.

Rawat, it is believed, has suggested Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to reach out to Sidhu in a bid to placate him.

Importantly, Sunil Jakhar had slammed Navjot Singh Sidhu over his resignation as Punjab unit chief and said "what stands compromised was the faith reposed in him by the Congress leadership".

 "It`s just not cricket! What stands compromised in this entire `episode` is the faith reposed in the (outgoing?) PCC President by the Congress Leadership. No amount of grandstanding can justify this breach of trust placing his benefactors in a peculiar predicament," Jakhar said in a tweet.

Interestingly, Sidhu had replaced Sunil Jakhar as PCC chief recently despite strong objections from Capt Amarinder Singh.

Amid high drama, Sidhu had on Tuesday quit as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief, triggering a flurry of resignations and plunging the party into a fresh crisis just months ahead of the assembly elections.

Hours after his resignation, Razia Sultana, a part of the new 18-member ministry led by Charanjit Singh Channi, too put in her papers, expressing solidarity with the former cricketer. Punjab Congress general secretary Yoginder Dhingra and treasurer Gulzar Inder Chahal followed with their resignations. 

Amid a flurry of political activity, several state Congress leaders visited Sidhu at his home in Patiala on Tuesday. Sidhu, 57, who announced his resignation shortly after the allocation of portfolios to the new ministers, said he remains with the party.

He was appointed the party's state unit president on July 18 amid a bitter power tussle with Amarinder Singh, who stepped down as the CM 10 days back while accusing the high command of humiliating him.

Sidhu didn't elaborate on why he has quit. But speculation in party circles ranges from his displeasure over the allocation of the home portfolio to Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa to the appointments of the acting police chief and the state advocate general by the new CM.

The political crisis facing the Congress party has surfaced once again just a few months ahead of the scheduled assembly election in Punjab.