New Delhi: His conviction by the Punjab and Haryana High Court has failed to deter former cricketer-turned MP and television star Navjot Singh Sidhu from entering the election field in Punjab, which goes into polls in February-March 2007.
He is down but not out – Sidhu's popularity doesn’t seem to have waned despite being convicted for his involvement in a murder case. Recently, he was the crowd-puller at a rally organised by BJP-Akali Dal alliance in Punjab.
Even as he has moved an appeal in the Supreme Court against the court order, Sidhu has taken the front seat on behalf of the BJP-Akali Dal alliance to attack the Congress and its Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Politics is all about numbers and if that being the case – it’s more of numbers now on in Punjab. The SAD-BJP combine brought in Sidhu and his first big appearance after his conviction do fetch in the numbers.
Analysts say his popularity in the political arena has soared after his conviction. This can be well observed when over two lakh BJP and Akali supporters turned up for the rally in Moga in Punjab, which kicked off the alliance's campaigning for the upcoming state Assembly polls.
Sidhu says, “Navjot Sidhu ye jaanta hai ki satya ki jeet hone ke liye balidaan karna padta hai. (Navjot Sidhu knows well that it needs sacrifice to achieve triumph.)”
When Sidhu reached the microphone to speak, the half a million crowd roared. When he spoke, he took the thunder away from all the Badals, Advanis, Rajnaths, Chautalas and others.
Sidhu, the son of a Congress leader, had been acquitted in the road rage case in 1994 when the Congress was in power in Punjab.
The case was reopened in 1999 when the Akali government led by Badal was ruling the state. Now he rubs shoulders with the same Akalis who are said have brought him this fate.
Sidhu has been convicted under Section 304 of IPC, which carries a maximum prison term of 10 years.
Sidhu, MP from Amritsar, and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu on December 27, 1988 allegedly beat up Gurman who later died of a heart attack.
Asked if he would campaign in the Punjab polls in February and whether he saw a political conspiracy, he said: “To know what’s right and not do it is the worst form of cowardice and I am not a coward. I shall stand by the truth, the principle and campaign against the Raja (Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh). In a loktantra, logon ka raj hai kisi raja ka nahin." (I will campaign against the Raja. In a democracy people rule, not kings.)
For the BJP, Sidhu is more important in the Sikh-dominated state. He is addressing smaller rallies two to three times every week for the upcoming elections.
Sidhu's political fate still hangs on what the Apex court makes out of his case. His bail is only till January 31.
If he gets a reprieve from the Supreme Court, Sidhu could land up in hometown Patiala to take on Amarinder Singh in a direct contest for the assembly seat.
(With agency inputs)
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