CHANDIGARH: Amid efforts to end the factionalism in the Punjab Congress ahead of the 2027 assembly elections, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Amritsar by this month-end.
The reason behind the visit is the internal power struggles and fissures between the state leadership and the recent clashes between supporters of former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, state Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, besides AICC General Secretary and Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel's visit to the State leaving behing no breakthrough.
Party sources said that the schedule of Rahul Gandhi’s visit is being worked out as the State unit leaders are planning to hold a 'unity bus yatra' during his visit, as he is expected to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple and other religious places in Amritsar.
The visit of Rahul coincides with final efforts by the party high command to end infighting in the state Congress.
Sources added that it is expected that during his visit, Rahul will give a message of unity to the state leadership, as the high command has already said the dissenting leaders that it will not act under pressure and will take a decision that is in sync with the ground reality. Thus, a few important decisions to achieve unity are expected in the coming days.
On August 12, Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa met Rahul Gandhi outside Parliament House in Delhi in the presence of Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and discussed the situation in the state unit ahead of the assembly elections.
A day before, a dinner meeting was held at the Delhi residence of Gurdaspur MP and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, which was attended by Jalandhar MP and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Ferozepur MP Sher Singh Ghubaya, Bajwa, and MLAs Rana Gurjit Singh and Pargat Singh.
During the meeting, it was felt that MPs and senior leaders should approach the high command and brief the central leadership about the latest developments, as these leaders had asked Bajwa to get them time from Rahul for the meeting, as they have approached him but have not been given time so far.
On August 7, 15 Punjab Congress MLAs wrote to the high command seeking appointments with KC Venugopal and Rahul Gandhi to discuss 'pressing' issues.
Earlier, during the nine-day organisational tour of AICC General Secretary and Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel from July 31 to August 8, the party’s 'Har booth, Congress Mazboot' camping, which covered around 18 districts and an earlier five-day exercise by Baghel in July at Chandigarh, which had been intended to address much the same problem, had produced little breakthrough.
During the party’s ‘Har Booth, Congress Mazboot’ campaign, the grand old party found itself firefighting internal power struggles and fissures as public clashes erupted between rival factions, with supporters of former Chief Minister Channi raising slogans in his favour and verbal clashes breaking out between supporters of Channi and Warring at several meetings.
“Go back Baghel” posters also surfaced in Muktsar, Patiala, Ludhiana, Bathinda and other places.
The infighting came to the fore when the Congress leadership, on July 1, announced its decision to retain Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as state unit chief and appointed former Chief Minister Channi as chairperson of its campaign committee.
Channi’s supporters have been demanding that he be declared the party’s chief ministerial face for the 2027 Assembly elections.