Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday abruptly sent in his resignation from the post of Punjab Congress president, days after the party removed entrenched leader Amarinder Singh as chief minister following a tussle between the two.

Sidhu’s sudden decision not only intensified the problems of the ruling Congress in poll-bound Punjab, it also caused deep embarrassment to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as they had taken a huge risk by bulldozing all hurdles to project him as the supreme leader in the state.

The majority of senior leaders in the high command structure had not been in favour of promoting Sidhu but Rahul and Priyanka appeared to have been swayed by his popularity in their effort to retain Punjab in the next election.

Sidhu wrote in his resignation letter: “The collapse of a man’s character stems from the compromise corner. I can never compromise on Punjab’s future and the agenda for the welfare of Punjab. Therefore, I hereby resign as the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. I will continue to serve the Congress.”

He posted the letter on Twitter without clearance from the central leadership, sources said.

The sources said that while Sidhu was upset because he wanted to become chief minister after Amarinder’s exit, his anger boiled over when new chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi made appointments without his approval.

Sidhu’s supporters said the cabinet too wasn’t formed with his full consent and certain other appointments were seen by him as a compromise with corruption.

Channi said on Tuesday that he would meet Sidhu and sort out the matter.

Even Sidhu’s aides were huddled with him to resolve the crisis, trying to persuade him to withdraw the resignation keeping in mind the larger picture, particularly the Assembly elections next year.

But the dominant sentiment in the party is hostile towards Sidhu with most leaders condemning his “immaturity” as “unpardonable betrayal”.

The sources claimed that even Rahul was livid.

While Amarinder asserted that Sidhu was not a “stable personality”, most other senior leaders said Sidhu should have considered the risks Rahul and Priyanka had taken for him. They believe the Congress should persist with the pro-Dalit narrative in the aftermath of Channi’s elevation by discarding Sidhu and immediately appointing someone else as the state unit chief. These leaders are of the opinion that dilly-dallying will further complicate the web that the party looks stuck in.

A senior leader told The Telegraph: “Sidhu is now raking up small issues without realising the overarching goal of winning the election. The main issue is that he feels the chief minister is not willing to be a puppet.

“He was already feeling let down because of the choice of Channi. But he felt he could act as super chief minister and wanted to be projected as the next chief minister in the election. There were no signs of capitulation by the high command to this kind of blackmail. Rahul Gandhi was determined to give Channi a chance to prove his leadership.”

Another leader from Chandigarh said: “Rahul Gandhi took a great decision by setting the electoral discourse. The anti-incumbency factor got wiped away and everybody was discussing the Dalit factor. Sidhu was rattled by that because he is driven by his overweening ambition. If the party tries to strike any compromise with him and runs the risk of undermining Channi’s authority, the whole atmosphere will get vitiated. We have to forget Sidhu and persist with the Dalit card.”

Channi is Punjab’s first Dalit chief minister.

There have been some resignations in solidarity with Sidhu but leaders prefer a courageous response to weather this storm.

Cabinet minister Razia Sultana, whose husband Mohd Mustafa is Sidhu’s adviser, resigned along with some party office-bearers. Around six MLAs visited Sidhu’s residence but that is not being seen as a real threat to the Channi government. The majority of the MLAs support a tough line and a prompt decision to end the perception of instability.

Asked about Sidhu’s principled stand on zero tolerance on corruption, a Congress MP said: “Isn’t Rahul Gandhi committed to fighting corruption? If Sidhu had some concerns, he could have patiently dealt with it. There was a strong momentum in favour of the Congress and he consciously derailed it. If he is sulking at the personal level, he can’t harm the party. Is he sitting in a comedy circus? Politics is a serious business and the central leadership cannot afford to give him a second chance.”

Some leaders have already conveyed to the high command that Sidhu’s popularity had been severely dented over the past few days because of his perceived arrogance and ambition.

“He has become a subject of ridicule. Even common people are saying he is not a serious politician. He is seen as disinterested in letting a Dalit leader flourish. The party must close this chapter and move ahead without losing a single day,” a young leader from Punjab said.