The Congress has removed Amarinder Singh as chief minister of poll-bound Punjab, taking a huge risk in the border state as finding an able successor is not going to be easy amid the political turmoil that a possible revolt could trigger.

A decision on the new chief minister of Punjab will be taken on Sunday afternoon as the Congress has called a meeting of its MLAs for the second time in the past 24 hours.

NDTV

There seemed little chance of a smooth transition as the outgoing chief minister firmly declared his intent to oppose Navjot Singh Sidhu as his successor, describing him as a threat to national security.

Amarinder, known as “Captain”, underlined that Sidhu was a friend of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. While Sidhu, being a former cricketer, is naturally close to Imran, his embrace of Bajwa during a visit to Pakistan was seized upon by critics back home.

Sidhu, the most charismatic leader in Punjab and who was made the state Congress chief a few months ago, is obviously the main choice of the MLAs while the high command would prefer a more experienced leader.

The name of former state chief Sunil Jakhar was initially doing the rounds as the frontrunner. Jakhar, a former MP and MLA, is a Hindu and making him chief minister won’t be easy in a Sikh-dominated state.

The Congress Legislature Party, which met on Saturday evening, authorised party president Sonia Gandhi to pick the new leader.

Although it was initially indicated that the new chief minister’s name would be announced on Saturday night, a legislature party meeting has again been called on Sunday morning.

The change of mind may have occurred after a savage attack by Amarinder, who clothed his personal missiles in the sensitive issue of national security and Pakistan-aided terrorism.

Amarinder, left with no choice as he had clearly lost support in the legislature party, spoke to Sonia in the morning and expressed resentment at the meeting being called without consulting him.

He said in Chandigarh after submitting his resignation to the governor: “I told Sonia Gandhi that I am resigning. This is the third time that a meeting of the MLAs has been called; twice in Delhi and again today here. There is an element of doubt… that I could not run the government. I feel humiliated. I can’t continue as chief minister like this. Let them elect whoever they want.”

The chief minister, who resigned barely half an hour before the Congress Legislature Party meeting was to start, said in response to questions: “I will decide the future course of action after talking to my supporters and friends. Options are always open in politics.”

Amarinder later made it clear that he wasn’t going to retire from politics, asserting that he was fit enough to carry on. “I’m not going to back out, won’t give up,” he said.

The veteran launched a scathing attack on Sidhu: “He is a total disaster. He couldn’t run a ministry, how can he run the state?”

In a brazen attempt to block Sidhu’s chances of becoming chief minister, Amarinder said: “I won’t accept him as chief minister. He is a friend of Imran Khan and Bajwa. Pakistan is sending drones and arms and ammunition into Punjab. I will oppose Sidhu for the sake of my country.”

Ironically, Amarinder too had grappled with controversies about his friendship with a Pakistani journalist.

The acerbic offensive created heartburn in the party as the outgoing chief minister was seen as trying to demonise Sidhu, the party’s face in Punjab whether he is chief minister or not. Some leaders were so angry that they alleged that Amarinder was dancing to the BJP’s tune and should have been sacked earlier.

But the legislature party tried to pacify Amarinder by passing a resolution praising the contributions of the outgoing chief minister.

The high command knows that Captain still retains enough clout to damage the party and would like to move cautiously to ensure he doesn’t take any extreme step.

There is a fear that he can split the Congress and form his own party, ensuring that a multi-cornered fight throws up a hung verdict.

The problem with the Congress is that Sidhu is the only popular leader but his administrative skills and political acumen are in doubt. Other experienced leaders do not have the charisma to lead the party to victory.

The coming months will witness a volatile political atmosphere, and surprising developments cannot be ruled out.