Navjot Singh Sidhu, the newly appointed Punjab Congress chief, shown black flags by farmers opposing farm laws in Ludhiana

NEW DELHI: Navjot Singh Sidhu, the newly appointed Punjab Congress chief, was welcomed with black flags by farmers protesting against the Centre’s three farm laws upon his arrival in Ludhiana on Tuesday.

According to news agency ANI, hundreds of farmers shouted slogans and showed black flags to Sidhu after he reached Bhagat Singh Marg in Ludhiana.

Overruling the objections raised by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Sidhu was on Sunday appointed the president of the Punjab unit of Congress. 

A day later, he visited Gurudwara Shri Dukhniwaran Sahib in Patiala and offered prayers. After offering prayers at the Gurudwara with his supporters and few party members, he later reached his residence in Patiala.

The Congress party is pinning its hopes on Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Sidhu together for winning the 2022 assembly elections. 

Declaring that his journey has "just begun", Punjab Congress' new president Sidhu had on Monday pledged to work with every "member of the Congress family" to fulfil the ‘Jittega Punjab' mission.

The 57-year-old cricketer-turned-politician, who had a busy day calling on leaders and ministers, thanked the Congress leadership for appointing him head of the Punjab unit, asserted he would strengthen the party's organisation in the state. Assembly polls in the Congress-ruled state are due next year.

Sidhu had been meeting party leaders for the past few days, even before his elevation as PPCC chief.

The Congress top brass also appointed four working presidents to assist Sidhu in the run-up to the assembly elections due early next year.
The new working presidents are Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Pawan Goel and Kuljit Singh Nagra who represent different regions and castes.

With the decision to ignore Amarinder Singh's opposition - he is learnt to have told Sonia Gandhi he will not meet Sidhu till he publicly apologises for his attacks on him in the recent past - the party leadership has clearly signalled it is putting its weight behind Sidhu.

The leadership feels Sidhu can lead the party's campaign with fresh energy and enthusiasm and help ensure its victory in 2022 assembly polls, party insiders said.

Sidhu now faces the challenge of uniting the party and bringing cohesion in its ranks, besides winning the trust of the old guard and veterans. There has been no reaction from Amarinder Singh over Sidhu's elevation to the post of the chief of the party's state unit.