Punjab is one of those few Congress-ruled states where there is apparent stability, but even there the internecine war between Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and minister Navjot Singh Sidhu is assuming ugly proportions. It is common knowledge that while there is bottled up tension between Amarinder and the party high command as exemplified by Sonia Gandhi and son and Congress president Rahul, there is a degree of indulgence towards Sidhu which encourages him to defy the chief minister. Amarinder has been a no-nonsense man, prone to keep the ‘high command’ at arm’s length but having lost power in most states the high command is wary of taking on the popular chief minister. Recently, Sidhu disturbed a hornet’s nest when he failed to attend the chief minister’s meeting with his ministers, saying that he could not be taken for granted by anyone.
With instances of Sidhu’s indiscipline piling up, Amarinder decided to divest him of the Culture and Tourism portfolios and instead gave him charge of Energy. Sidhu then hit back at Amarinder Singh saying he had been unfairly “singled out” for the poor performance of the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections and that some people wanted him out of the party. Sidhu also defended the working of his local government department that he headed until then saying that no other minister in the Amarinder Singh dispensation had worked “so transparently.” Sidhu’s reaction came after the chief minister said that Sidhu’s performance as a minister needed to be reviewed as he had “not been able to handle his own department”. Amarinder had also said that the Congress in Punjab performed poorly in urban areas and it was Sidhu who was the minister for urban development. The undercurrent of Amrinder’s statement was all too clear. Earlier, Sidhu’s confrontation with Amarinder had reached a flashpoint when Sidhu hinted at collusion between the chief minister and the Badals (Parkash Sing Badal and son and deputy Sukhbir) who ruled the State before Amarinder rode to power.
At the time of Kartarpur corridor issue, when Sidhu had gone to Pakistan and courted controversy by hugging their Army chief, and Amarinder had criticised him, the Cabinet had decided to bring a condemnation resolution against Sidhu. It was after the intervention of the high command that the idea was dropped. It was believed at that time that Sidhu’s visit to Pakistan on an invite from Prime Minister Imran Khan was discussed and cleared with Rahul Gandhi. Evidently, the war of words between Amarinder and Sidhu will not die down on its own. The chief minister has indeed hinted that Sidhu is aspiring to displace him. Sooner than later the proxy war between the high command and Sidhu may well be out in the open.
Dhoni’s ‘Balidan Badge’ is no ICC violation
One is left wondering why the International Cricket Council (ICC) is insisting on former Indian skipper M S Dhoni doing away with the ‘Balidaan Badge,’ or regimental dagger insignia of the Indian Para Special Forces on his wicket-keeping gloves in the cricket World Cup now underway in England. As per ICC regulations, players cannot sport any commercial, religious or military logo. The Indian Committee of Administrators chief Vinod Rai has justifiably written in a formal communication to ICC that the insignia does not fall in any of the three categories. There is no political, religious or racial message in this harmless insignia. It is indeed a symbol of the country’s pride and must be allowed as such. Accordingly, the ICC must accede to the Indian request to allow Dhoni to carry the symbol which is not in breach of ICC regulations and is a symbolic tribute to the Indian para special forces for their sacrifices. As Rai has pointed out, it is by no means a regimental dagger.
The relationship between the Indian army and Dhoni goes back several years. In 2011, Dhoni was conferred the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Parachute Regiment of the Indian army. That was in recognition of his contribution to the game of cricket. To see in this any hidden design or violation of the spirit of the game is utterly misplaced. While ICC must backtrack, India and Dhoni must press on.
- S.Sadanand
