The Twists and Turns in Congress Party as Navjot Singh Sidhu Resigns

Sidhu's resignation comes just 10 days after the ouster of Captain Amarinder Singh from the CM office.

The Big Story podcast on Navjot Singh Sidhu's resignation and Congress party leadership. Image used for representation only.

(Photo: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

Punjab Congress seems to have descended deeper into chaos after the surprise resignation of the state Congress committee chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, which came just two days after a new state Cabinet was announced.

In his resignation letter, which was posted on his Twitter profile on 28 September, he said that “the collapse of a man’s character stems from the compromise corner” and that he can never compromise on the state’s future and welfare.

In a video posted on 29 September, Sidhu hinted that it was the inclusion of certain politicians in the new Cabinet which led to his resignation. To add further insult to injury, none of his Cabinet recommendations were considered for the Cabinet.

His resignation also comes 10 days after the ouster of Captain Amarinder Singh from the chief minister's office, a change that Sidhu spearheaded since he took on the role of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief in July.

Amarinder Singh has also been opposing Sidhu being the CM face in upcoming polls tooth and nail and now with news of him meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah at at the latter's residence, there is a lot of curiosity around the possibility of Singh joining the Bharatiya Janata Party.

And with taunts coming in from the BJP and AAP quarters on the Congress party's failure in Punjab and the Congress’s G-23 leader Kapil Sibal also raising pointed questions on who is making the calls at the top, the party is left trying to douse fires in all corners of its house.

The million dollar question on everyone's mind is, What is really happening in the Congress party? Why is the party high command unable to helm this ship?

To discuss Sidhu’s resignations, its political impact and the Congress party, I am joined today by Aditya Menon, The Quint’s Political Editor.