'Last Chance for Redemption': Back in Saddle, Sidhu Writes to Sonia Gandhi on 13-Point Agenda for Punjab

Navjot Singh Sidhu, who made a comeback as president of the Congress’ Punjab unit, has written a letter to Sonia Gandhi, stating “priority areas that Punjab government must deliver upon” as called it the state’s “last chance for resurrection and redemption”.

“After multiple deliberations and consultations with party workers from across Punjab and with deep understanding of the public sentiment over 17 years of public life, I express with a lot of pain in my heart that this is Punjab’s last chance for resurrection and redemption. The issues at Punjab’s heart as understood very well by you, and signified by the 18-Point agenda given to the last Chief Minister are equally relevant today. I stood for each point in that agenda through the responsibility vested in me of the organization, keeping the executive under check, to be guardian of Punjab’s rights,” he wrote.

The letter dated October 15, which was shared by Sidhu on Twitter on Sunday, was written a day after he met Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal and withdrew his resignation as Punjab Congress president, saying “everything has been sorted out”.

Justice in sacrilege cases, Punjab’s drugs menace, agricultural issues, employment opportunities, sand mining and welfare of backward classes were among the 13 issues he highlighted in his letter as he batted for a “Punjab model of development”.

Sidhu asked Sonia Gandhi to consider the points and direct the state government to “act in the best interest of the people of Punjab immediately”. He also sought a personal audience with Gandhi to present the Punjab model to be a part of the 2022 Congress manifesto.

On Friday, during the meeting with Venugopal and Rawat, Sidhu raised his concerns over the 18-point agenda taken up by the Captain Amarinder Singh-led government, on which actions are pending. These included action against those involved in the sacrilege issue and the drugs mafia. After a long spell of infighting in the state Congress unit, Amarinder Singh had resigned in September and Charanjit Singh Channi was sworn in as the new leader.

However, Sidhu, who was appointed PPCC chief on July 19, resigned in September, minutes after allocation of portfolios to ministers in the new government headed by Channi.

According to Congress insiders, Sidhu was “angry and upset” that his suggestions were ignored in the appointment of some top officials.

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