Congress chooses Dalit leader Channi to fight anti-incumbency

Rajmeet Singh

Chandigarh, February 6

The Congress high command, in a well-thought-out move, has chosen not to make changes at the top ahead of the Assembly elections. Whether or not the decision to declare Charanjit Channi as the CM face translates into votes from other communities is anybody’s guess. Rahul Gandhi is learnt to have held a one-on-one meeting with Sidhu, informing him of the party’s decision.

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Chandigarh: Though Channi has served as CM for 111 days, the fact that the Congress has chosen him to lead the party in these crucial elections has enthused the socially disadvantaged sections, who feel they have finally got their due in politics.

The Congress clearly aims to reach out to the underprivileged sections with Rahul stressing that the CM being from a ‘garib ghar’ could well understand hunger and poverty. “Political leaders are not made at TV debates. A person becomes a leader after years of struggle and the Congress has no dearth of such jewels,” said Rahul at the Ludhiana rally, a remark that insiders say was aimed at Sidhu.

A senior leader claimed that Sidhu had been systematically cut to size in the past few months and he now had no political options. It is believed that the party used Sidhu to oust Capt and target the BJP and AAP and later picked a Dalit Sikh face to fight anti-incumbency.