Navjot Sidhu: A Strokeless Wonder in politics as well?

What has happened to Navjot Singh Sidhu? The man never stops grinning and joking whenever we see him on television channels and is always ready to tackle life as it comes, thanks to the power of Sidhuism.

How come such a man always full of positive energy has suddenly started feeling suffocated in his party and that too a year before the country goes to the next Lok Sabha election? Is he an lion-hearted personality suffocated by the intricacies of the system or a weak-hearted politician who is afraid to face the electoral backlash for he knows that he doesn't deserve to be there?

The way the cricketer-turned-politician's wife is batting for him, it doesn't look like Sidhu is facing the prick of conscience. There is more to it and the Amritsar MP knows very clearly that he doesn't have much run to defend before the next poll arrives.

Sidhu too busy with TV shows, no time for politics

According to some sources, the party itself is not happy with Sidhu. It is said that the MP doesn't devote much time to his own constituency and the party even though he was given election tickets and also made a secretary. It is said he just addressed press conferences at Amritsar airport and rushed from there without meeting the field workers.

The party was unhappy with his participation in Bigg Boss 6 and busy schedules with cricket commentaries and laughter shows. The man was made to quit the Bigg Boss show midway for the Gujarat polls although he was warned against joining it for its unpredicatble format but Sidhu didn't listen.

The party has dubbed him as a non-useful member and in the post-Nitin Gadkari BJP, the man is nowhere near the office-bearer's list although according to the sources, Sidhu was aspiring to become the vice-president. He was naturally left frustrated, if not suffocated.

SAD also wants to get Sidhu removed?

It is also said that ego clashes with state minister Bikram Singh Majithia, a relative of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, has also cornered Sidhu in Punjab politics. His wife has alleged that he was sidelined despite working hard for his constituency, sometimes even gathering funds from his own pocket, and also suffering monetary losses for the party's interest.

It was also charged that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) undermined Sidhu during last year's civic elections and even fielded candidates against the latter's as Independents to defeat them. This despite the fact that the SAD and BJP lead a coalition government in the state. The SAD although said that Sidhu's problem is BJP's internal one, sources said that it was aiming to replace Sidhu with senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley from Amritsar in the next Lok Sabha polls.

Why do these celebrities enter politics to make it more dull?

The question is: How much time did Sidhu devote to politics to understand its intricacies and feel suffocated? His wife said he had entered politics with a mission but if that is so, why do we always see him in TV channels? Is that the main mission for entering politics for him? Another Celebrity MP of the BJP Dharmendra had drawn flak from the voters of his constituency, Bikaner, for he had never gone to meet them after getting elected in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.

Why do these celebrities come in politics? Just for the perks and fame? It's no surprise that people like Navjot Singh Sidhu, who enter politics only to gain and not give back anything in return, is making the field more dull and unrewarding for the common man. Sidhu's latest politics of gimmicks is a sign that his ploy of putting pressure on the party to have his way has stopped delivering.

Sidhu's narrow victory margin makes him a liability

Sidhu's margin of victory in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections had narrowed alarmingly when compared to 2004 and for the BJP, which is desperately trying to re-invent itself under a fresh leadership on the national stage, such politicians with diminishing utility are of little use. Hence, the party is giving little credence to Sidhu's googly which he has bowled through his wife, also a Navjot. When it hasn't worked, she tried to project a cornered image of her husband as a last-ditch effort to save face before the polls.

Pressure tactics has been Sidhu's favourite ploy

Sidhu had even threatened to resign once if her wife was not given poll ticket and she was later elected as the MLA in the Punjab assembly. She was also given the post of chief parliamentary secretary.

Attacking Keshubhai Patel was a big goof-up

Sidhu's slide started when he let loose his tongue against the Patel strongman and former BJP leader Keshubhai Patel ahead of the Gujarat assembly polls last year. His terming Patel, who later formed the Gujarat Parivartan Party, as anti-national had damaged the BJP's image and it was no surprise that he was dropped as the secretary. Sidhu had even reportedly said that voting for Keshubhai would mean eating beef. It was too much for his party to endorse.

Politics sans any ideology and commitment towards a cause is a dangerous profession and people like Sidhu, who confuse garrulity with oratory skills, can become serious threat for their own political camp. It is good for the party and the people if such individuals are let free. It is better to be a strokeless wonder in cricket than in politics.