A victorious Sidhu at the Golden Temple.

Congress insulted Dalits by saying Punjab to be fought under Sidhu: BJP

With Dalit CM in Punjab, Congress aims at UP and Uttarakhand

Agency Report | New Delhi | 20 September, 2021 | 11:30 PM

Hitting out at the ruling Congress for party’s Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat’s comment that 2022 Assembly polls will be fought under the leadership of state party Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the Congress has insulted the Dalit community of Punjab and the country.

Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma said that to control infighting in its party state unit, the Congress leadership made Channi ji (Charanjit Singh Channi) the Punjab Chief Minister but insulted the Dalit community by not allowing him to lead the party in the upcoming state Assembly polls.

“If the Congress is not confident of the leadership capability of Charanjit Singh Channi, then why did they make him the Chief Minister for four months just before the state Assembly polls,” Sharma asked.

Comparing Channi with a night watchman, Sharma further said, “The comments of Congress leaders Harish Rawat and Sunil Jakhar show that no one in the Congress party has faith in Channi’s leadership. They (Congress) have made mockery of Channi and insulted Dalits of Punjab and the country.”

Earlier on Monday, former Punjab Congress President Sunil Jakhar tweeted, “On the swearing-in ceremony of Charanjit Singh Channi as Chief Minister, (Harish) Rawat’s statement that ‘elections will be fought under Sidhu’ is baffling. It’s likely to undermine the Chief Minister’s authority but also negate the very ‘raison d’etre’ of his selection for this position.”

Quoting Jakhar’s tweet, BJP National Spokesperson R.P. Singh said, “Someone else will be captain of Punjab, is @Charnjit_channi only Night Watchman?”

Amit Malviya, BJP’s IT cell National in-charge, tweeted, “This is a huge insult to the entire Dalit community if Charanjit Singh Channi has been made the Chief Minister, only to hold the seat for Navjot Singh Sidhu, the chosen Gandhi family loyalist. This completely undermines the Dalit empowerment narrative being peddled by the Congress. Shame.”

“Dalits are now mere political pawns in Congress’ devious politics. In Punjab, they claim to have made a Dalit CM, only to be posted as a night watchman till Gandhi family loyalist Sidhu takes over. But maintains deafening silence over lynching of a Dalit youth in Rajasthan,” Malviya said.

After the surprise announcement of the name of Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit leader, for the Chief Minister’s post in Punjab, the Congress looks at the larger aim of Uttrakhand and Uttar Pradesh which are also going to polls early next year.

Rahul Gandhi, after the announcement of the new Chief Minister’s name, congratulated Channi, saying: “Congratulations to Shri Charanjit Singh Channi Ji for the new responsibility. We must continue to fulfill the promises made to the people of Punjab. Their trust is of paramount importance.”

Channi, who was also a bitter critic of outgoing Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, has been appointed to tap not only around 32 per cent Dalit votes in the state but also in neighbouring Uttarakhand and UP which go to polls early next year along with Punjab.

After a Dalit CM in Punjab, the Congress is eyeing gains in Uttarakhand but it is unlikely that the party will get much traction in UP as Mayawati is a formidable force in the state and non-Jatav Dalits have mostly aligned with the BJP.

Sources say that Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa’s name was proposed by majority of MLAs but Rahul Gandhi decided in favour of Channi who was the leader of opposition for a brief period during the previous Akali government.

Apart from other names, Congress wanted even former Union Minister Ambika Soni to become the Chief Minister but she refused. However, she emerged as the main trouble shooter in the Punjab episode in the aftermath of the resignation of Amarinder Singh. Soni held late night meetings with party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi at least twice and has some role in the appointment of the new Chief Minister. It was her statement in favour of a Sikh Chief Minister that went against the top choice, Sunil Jakhar.

Sensing Soni could be the Chief Minister, the state leaders made a consensus that the Chief Minister should be among the MLAs, and hence Randhawa’s and Channi’s names emerged but Rahul Gandhi who has special focus on Dalit leadership decided in favour of Channi.