Punjab Election: Navjot Sidhu yesterday called off his public meeting and visited Vaishno Devi pilgrimage
Ahead of Rahul Gandhi's Sunday reveal on the Congress's Chief Minister candidate for Punjab, one of the top two contenders, Navjot Singh Sidhu, has commented that "people at the top" want a weak Chief Minister who can dance to their tunes. Shutting down speculation that he had aimed it at his party bosses, Mr Sidhu's aide stressed that he meant the central government.
"If a new Punjab has to be made, it is in the hands of the Chief Minister. You have to choose the Chief Minister this time. People at the top want a weak Chief Minister who can dance to their tunes - ta ta thaiya. Do you want such a Chief Minister?" Mr Sidhu told his supporters in Punjabi on Thursday.
They cheered and shouted slogans at the Punjab Congress chief's comment.
Mr Sidhu has long coveted the Chief Minister's job and almost made it when the party sacked his rival Amarinder Singh in September. But Amarinder Singh's replacement, Charanjit Singh Channi, has repeatedly made it clear that he is no placeholder.
Mr Channi is now seen to have edged past Mr Sidhu in what has been a very public rivalry. The Congress has assigned Mr Channi two constituencies for the February 20 Punjab election, a sign that he may be the party's choice for Chief Minister and has been given a backup in case he loses in one seat.
As speculation peaks, Mr Sidhu yesterday called off his public meetings and cleared out his campaign diary for a snap visit to the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage.
Rahul Gandhi is likely to announce the name in Ludhiana on Sunday, say sources.
Last week, during his visit to Punjab, both Mr Channi and Mr Sidhu had displayed unity on stage but had delivered less than subtle messages that the party should pick a side and name its Punjab face.
The Congress then launched a public poll on who should be the chief ministerial candidate, taking a cue from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which carried out a televote before declaring Bhagwant Mann as its candidate for the top post.
A call from the Congress plays a recorded message in Punjabi prompting listeners to press a key to vote from three options. Mr Channi's name has been placed at number one, followed by Mr Sidhu's. The third option asks whether Congress should go without a Chief Minister face.