Day after ‘snub’, miffed Navjot Singh Sidhu may get time to meet Rahul Gandhi today

Amid the ongoing rift in Punjab Congress, the expected meeting between former president Rahul Gandhi and party MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu did not take place yesterday. While it was dubbed as a snub to Sidhu, who has been raising his voice against CM Amarinder Singh, he is likely to meet Rahul Gandhi today, reported The Indian Express.

Sidhu’s team had said on Monday that he would meet Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday. However, when asked about the meeting, Rahul Gandhi said that no meeting with Sidhu was scheduled for Tuesday. After this, Sidhu left for his Patiala residence and will come to Delhi today again for the meeting.

However, Congress party sources said the former party president is likely to meet Sidhu today.

Congress Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat said that anybody can meet Rahul Gandhi and he himself could not meet Sidhu as the latter’s mother-in-law is unwell. “Rahul Ji recently met many leaders from Punjab, anybody can meet him. I wanted to meet Sidhu Ji but his mother-in-law is unwell. Everything is under control in our house,” said Rawat yesterday.

According to reports, Harish Rawat also said that if there was any meeting between Sidhu and Rahul Gandhi, he was not in the loop. Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar also denied having knowledge of any such meeting.

Several Punjab Congress leaders including Sidhu and CM Singh had earlier met a three-member panel set up by the Congress high command to resolve the infighting. The panel has submitted its report and any decision is likely in the first week of July.

Last week, Jakhar and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa met Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. While Jakhar had said the current situation would be resolved soon, Bajwa said that he informed Rahul Gandhi about the ground realities of the political situation.