From kingmaker to YouTuber, the political decline of Navjot Singh Sidhu

Navjot Singh Sidhu recently held a press conference in Amritsar to announce the launch of his YouTube channel. Four years ago, his press conferences were centred on saving Punjab and targeting his own party’s chief minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, for colluding with the SAD’s Badals.

His efforts bore fruit and he was made the president of the state Congress, and Capt Amarinder Singh, once a close confidant of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, was summarily removed as chief minister by the party’s high command. And then the story unravelled. Intra-party intrigues played out in such a fashion that those opposed to Sidhu prevailed and scuttled his chances of becoming the chief minister.

Soon thereafter, a sulking Sidhu resigned as the Congress’s state chief on September 28, 2021, just two months after his appointment on July 18, 2021. His resignation was seen as a major embarrassment for the Congress leadership, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who had backed his appointment.

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In his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi, Sidhu wrote, “The collapse of a man’s character stems from the compromise corner. I can never compromise on Punjab’s future and the agenda for the welfare of Punjab,” signalling his refusal to accept what he saw as compromises on his principles, particularly regarding issues like corruption, sacrilege, and drugs.

On October 15, 2021, Sidhu met Rahul Gandhi and announced he was withdrawing his resignation after assurances that his concerns, including the 18-point agenda and issues like sacrilege and drugs, would be addressed. He stipulated he would resume duties once a new advocate-general was appointed, as he opposed A P S Deol’s appointment owing to his prior representation of controversial figures. Sidhu formally withdrew his resignation on November 5, 2021, but reiterated his condition about the advocate-general.

Sidhu resigned again as Punjab Congress chief on March 16, 2022, following the party’s defeat in the Assembly elections, where the AAP won 92 of 117 seats, and Congress was reduced to 18. He lost the Amritsar East seat to the AAP’s Jeevan Jyot Kaur.

He announced a maun vrat (vow of silence) after the resignation, avoiding media interactions, and was reportedly unresponsive to contact attempts.

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A personal setback occurred in 2022 when the Supreme Court ordered him to spend a year behind bars in a 1988 road rage case where one person died. Sidhu has been largely absent from active politics since his release from prison in April 2023. His wife’s battle with cancer also kept him focused on personal matters, limiting his political engagement.

He did not contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, opting to return to cricket commentary for the Indian Premier League (IPL) instead, which led to speculation about his political retirement.

Navjot Singh Sidhu’s political career is not definitively over, but it can be said that he is at a crossroads in the Congress, where neither its state unit nor the high command is reaching out to him.

Sidhu’s relationship with a section of Punjab Congress leaders has been strained. He has clashed with state leaders like Partap Singh Bajwa and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. There has been speculation about Sidhu rejoining the BJP, where he began his political career in 2004. However, he publicly denied these claims and reaffirmed his commitment to the Congress, criticizing the BJP on issues like farmers’ income and minimum support prices.

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Sidhu’s continued public presence, including the launch of his YouTube channel for spiritual guidance in April…

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