Last Update: December 21, 2022, 20:36 IST
Charanjit Singh Channi with Sidhu Moose Wala’s father. (Twitter)
Charanjit Singh Channi’s return to state politics with a surprise visit to slain Punjab singer Sidhu Musewala’s village and through Bharat Jodo Yatra has sparked discussions amid the expected release of Navjot Singh Sidhu.
He may have been dismissed by his detractors, some even accusing him of “going quiet” on foreign shores to beat the heat generated by the arrest of his nephew in corruption cases, but late on Tuesday, the former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi is back again. The politics of the state due to the surprise visit of the late singer of Punjab Village of Sidhu Moose Wala And an overnight stay with her parents has stirred up something at the party.
The move seems to have triggered talks of an attempt to bring Channi back into the political fray of the state with former PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu inching closer to freedom from Patiala jail.
With Sidhu expected to be released and Channi back in the coming months, party leaders fear the emergence of multiple power centres, which could thwart the high command’s efforts to push back the party after the assembly election debacle Is.
Channi seems to be playing her cards strategically. After returning from foreign trip, 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 wants to come back in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and Channi has sensed it. He may have faced defeat in the assembly polls, but his caste affiliation may still make him an aspirant for a ticket from a reserved seat,” said a senior leader.
Even on his return to Punjab, he chose to meet the Moose Wala family; a move that many believe was strategically favorable to him.
Party plagued by discord. Newly elected party chief Amarinder Raja Waring has tried to crack down on dissent, expelling more than a dozen leaders for indiscipline.
His return comes at a time when some senior Congress leaders are visiting the Patiala jail where Sidhu is serving his sentence in the road rage case. With reports of Sidhu being released ahead of his actual sentence, the presence of senior leaders in the prison fueled speculation that he may be assigned a key role in the party. “And that is why there are apprehensions that the return of Channi and Sidhu holding a key position could mean more power centres,” he said. Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, we may see some fireworks,” he said.
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