Last Updated: December 21, 2022, 20:36 IST
Charanjit Singh Channi with Sidhu Moose Wala’s father. (Twitter)
Charanjit Singh Channi’s reentry into the state politics with a surprise visit to slain Punjab singer Sidhu Moosewala’s village and through Bharat Jodo Yatra has generated talks, amid the expected release of Navjot Singh Sidhu
His detractors may have written him off, with some even accusing him of “cooling off” on foreign shores to beat the heat generated by the arrest of his nephew in corruption cases, but late on Tuesday night, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s reentry into the state politics with a surprise visit to slain Punjab singer Sidhu Moose Wala’s village and staying with his parents overnight has caused some ripples in the party.
The move seems to have generated talks of Channi trying to make a comeback into the state political arena and yet another round of power play as former PCC Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu seems to be getting closer to freedom from the Patiala jail.
With Sidhu expected to be released in the coming months and Channi back, party leaders fear the emergence of multiple power centres, which could upset the high command’s efforts to push the back party on track after the assembly election defeat.
Channi seems to be playing his cards strategically. After returning from his trip abroad, he joined Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan and also met Priyanka Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Many thought it was well thought out, sending a message to his opponents in the party that he was still relevant.
“You have to remember that the Congress desperately wants to claw back in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and Channi senses it. He may have faced a drubbing in the assembly polls but his caste affiliation could still make him an aspirant for the ticket from a reserved seat,” said a senior leader.
Even with his return to Punjab, he chose to visit the Moose Wala family; a step which many believe was strategically suited for him.
The party has been riddled with dissensions. Newly elected party chief Amarinder Raja Warring has tried to crack down on dissent expelling more than a dozen leaders for indiscipline.
His reentry has come at a time when some senior Congress leaders have been making a beeline to Patiala jail where Sidhu is serving his sentence in a road rage case. With reports of Sidhu being freed before his actual sentence, the presence of senior leaders at the jail has fuelled speculations that he could be assigned an important role in the party. “And that’s why there are fears that with Channi back and Sidhu in an important post could mean more power centres. In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, we could witness some fireworks,” he said.
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