Editor's Pick: A Dalit Sikh at the helm

Following the forced resignation of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Charanjit Singh Channi, 49, is set to become the next Chief Minister of Punjab. He is a close aide of Punjab Pradesh Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, who relentlessly opposed Mr. Singh's leadership. Mr. Channi was one among the Cabinet Ministers who criticised Mr. Singh's handling of the sacrilege issue and failure to curb the drugs and transport mafia and believed that Mr. Singh had failed to fulfil his 2017 election promises. Mr. Channi is Punjab's first Dalit leader in a State that has a Dalit population of about 32% but whose Chief Ministers have almost always been Jat Sikhs. His appointment is being viewed as a strategic move by the Congress to win over Dalit votes during the Assembly elections of 2022. Various surveys showed that people were growing increasingly unhappy with Mr. Singh. This is an attempt by the Congress to regain lost ground. The battle to win Dalit votes seems be raging, with the Shiromani Akali Dal, which is in an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party, as well as the Aam Aadmi Party promising that if they are voted to power, they will elect a Dalit as Deputy Chief Minister. Mr. Channi, a lawyer and management graduate, has considerable experience in politics: he is a three-time MLA and has held several Cabinet portfolios. He has also been entangled in controversies. By choosing a Dalit Sikh, the Congress has tried to keep both communities happy and has also yet again endorsed Mr. Sidhu. But Mr. Sidhu's "propensity for communal appealing, and his unstable temperament" make him "a sinister joker in the Congress pack," The Hindu editorial says today. It could be an uphill task for the Congress from now, especially since Mr. Singh is exploring options outside the Congress and could queer the pitch for the party. The party might have tried to solve a crisis, but it has created one in the process. This is why this is the top story of the day. The Hindu Explains Cutting the captain: On Congress and Punjab A spike: On records and COVID-19 vaccination coverage Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. Click here Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Which country said it will not allow the Islamic State group to establish a presence on the country's border with Afghanistan? 1. Iran 2. Turkmenistan 3. Uzbekistan 4. Pakistan To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 20 SEPTEMBER 2021 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( A Dalit Sikh at the helm [A Dalit Sikh at the helm] Following the forced resignation of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Charanjit Singh Channi, 49, is set to become the [next Chief Minister of Punjab](. He is a close aide of Punjab Pradesh Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, who relentlessly opposed Mr. Singh's leadership. Mr. Channi was one among the Cabinet Ministers who criticised Mr. Singh's handling of the sacrilege issue and failure to curb the drugs and transport mafia and believed that Mr. Singh had failed to fulfil his 2017 election promises. Mr. Channi is Punjab's first Dalit leader in a State that has a Dalit population of about 32% but whose Chief Ministers have almost always been Jat Sikhs. His appointment is being viewed as a strategic move by the Congress to win over Dalit votes during the Assembly elections of 2022. Various surveys showed that people were growing increasingly unhappy with Mr. Singh. This is an attempt by the Congress to regain lost ground. The battle to win Dalit votes seems be raging, with the Shiromani Akali Dal, which is in an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party, as well as the Aam Aadmi Party promising that if they are voted to power, they will elect a Dalit as Deputy Chief Minister. [Mr. Channi, a lawyer and management graduate, has considerable experience in politics]( he is a three-time MLA and has held several Cabinet portfolios. He has also been entangled in controversies. By choosing a Dalit Sikh, the Congress has tried to keep both communities happy and has also yet again endorsed Mr. Sidhu. But Mr. Sidhu's "propensity for communal appealing, and his unstable temperament" make him "a sinister joker in the Congress pack," [The Hindu editorial says today]( It could be an uphill task for the Congress from now, especially since Mr. Singh is exploring options outside the Congress and could queer the pitch for the party. The party might have tried to solve a crisis, but it has created one in the process. This is why this is the top story of the day. The Hindu Explains [Arrow][Cutting the captain: On Congress and Punjab]( [Arrow][A spike: On records and COVID-19 vaccination coverage]( [underlineimg] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Which country said it will not allow the Islamic State group to establish a presence on the country's border with Afghanistan? 1. Iran 2. Turkmenistan 3. Uzbekistan 4. Pakistan To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here](. 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