The Sidhu Sessions: Gandhis, Prashant Kishor Meet – 10 Facts

Quickly after the assembly, Harish Rawat, the Congress chief in control of Punjab, hinted at an answer. “Within the subsequent three to 4 days you’ll get excellent news for each Sidhu and Amarinder Singh,” he advised reporters.

Sources stated Prashant Kishor’s assembly with the Gandhis was not essentially state-specific however a part of a “greater technique”. The strategist had earlier met with NCP chief Sharad Pawar amid hypothesis of a brand new entrance to tackle the BJP in 2024. Each have stated that there could be no alliance towards the BJP with out the Congress.

Nonetheless, Punjab dominated hypothesis as Prashant Kishor and the Gandhis met towards the backdrop of efforts to dealer peace between the Congress’s high two within the state forward of essential elections. The Gandhis have met with Amarinder Singh and Navjot Sidhu individually in current weeks.

In 2017, Mr Kishor was instrumental in bringing Mr Sidhu to the Congress simply earlier than the Punjab polls. Mr Sidhu, who give up as a BJP Rajya Sabha member, was believed to be vacillating between the Congress and Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Occasion (AAP).

However not lengthy after the Congress received Punjab, powered by Mr Kishor’s technique, Amarinder Singh and Mr Sidhu fell out. Two years later, the cricketer-turned-politician give up the Punjab cupboard, feeling slighted by the Chief Minister.

On June 30, Mr Sidhu met with Priyanka Gandhi for 4 hours and tweeted a photograph together with her. Priyanka Gandhi then reportedly facilitated his assembly together with her brother, who had earlier advised reporters he had no plans to satisfy the sulking Punjab chief.

Days later, Amarinder Singh met with Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi and later advised reporters: “I do not know something about Sidhu saab. No matter is the choice, regardless of the Congress president needs, we will follow it.”

However Mr Singh has reportedly been immune to concepts that contain a large improve for Mr Sidhu within the Punjab authorities and social gathering. After the final assembly, Congress sources had talked a few components during which Amarinder Singh would keep Chief Minister and the Punjab Congress can be revamped to accommodate Mr Sidhu.

Mr Sidhu has been telegraphing his emotions by means of a series of tweets. Prior to now two days, tellingly, his goal has shifted from Amarinder Singh to the Congress’s Punjab rivals AAP and Akali Dal. Immediately, his tweets on AAP have been learn as sarcasm by some however many thought he was hinting at a attainable swap to Arvind Kejriwal’s social gathering.

This was Rahul Gandhi’s first assembly with Prashant Kishor since they collaborated within the Congress’s failed marketing campaign for the Uttar Pradesh election in 2017. The Samajwadi Occasion-Congress alliance flopped and the BJP got here to energy.