CHANDIGARH: The factionalism in the Punjab Congress deepens. With the Congress camp of Former Chief Minister and Member of Parliament Charanjit Singh Channi pushing for leadership change in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly Elections.
This faction had closed ranks to strongly oppose the continuation of Amarinder Raja Warring as the state unit president and is willing to accept anyone except Warring as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief. Against this backdrop, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Punjab, Bhupesh Baghel, arrived in the state on Monday to meet the party leadership.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the Channi Camp who are now joined by other leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister and Member of Parliament Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and senior leader and MLA Pargat Singh, have refused to meet Bhagel and left for Delhi.
The battle for the Punjab Congress leadership escalated as senior leaders opposed to Warring joined forces ahead of AICC state affairs in-charge Bhupesh Baghel’s visit today. As the disgruntled faction met in Mohali in the morning and decided to boycott all programmes led by Warring and put pressure on the party high command for an immediate leadership change. They staged a show of strength and former deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who was recently appointed chairman of the party’s core committee, was also present in the meeting.
Sources said that the senior leaders present resolved to boycott Warring’s programmes and present a united front to the party high command. Besides Channi and Randhawa, former ministers Rana Gurjeet Singh, Pargat Singh, Razia Sultana, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, and Gurpreet Singh Kangar also attended the meeting along with MLAs Kuldeep Singh Dhillon and former legislator Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon.
Soon after the meeting, several leaders shared photographs of the gathering on social media. Sources said that these leaders drafted a formal note for the Congress high command and stated that Warring’s public statements have damaged the party at the grassroots. This rebel faction has also decided to boycott Baghel’s upcoming meeting with senior party functionaries. But the leaders backing Warring are attended the meeting of the AICC in-charge.
``Our message to the high command is clear: the ground reality in Punjab must be acknowledged as the party cannot win the 2027 assembly elections under Warring’s leadership,” said a senior leader privy to the development.
While Bharat Bhushan Ashu said that he had not been invited for any meeting of Bhagel and the meeting today morning with Channi was in continuation of the previous meeting. Sources said the Channi-Randhawa faction has already escalated the matter to the Congress high command.
Former Punjab minister and MLA Pargat Singh, along with several other legislators, has left for Delhi to convey the group's concerns directly to the party leadership. Giving a clear indication of toeing a middle line aligned with the party high command, state Leader of Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa was missing from the meeting of dissident leaders held earlier in the day in Mohali, he was seen alongside Warring giving a rousing welcome to Bhupesh Baghel at the Mohali airport.
Apart from Bajwa, senior leaders OP Soni, Harry Mann and Vikram Chaudhary were present. The rest of the senior state leadership opposed to Warring was conspicuous by its absence. Bhagel said that he is here for five days in Chandigarh, there will be meeting of all the newly formed committees of the state unit and also the PPCC.
``By conducting the meetings, we will start the preparations for the upcoming assembly elections,’’ he said.
While answering to the functionalism in the Punjab Congress as Channi camp wants Warring to be replaced, Bhagal said he has just come and let him meet everyone and then only he can comment.
Admitting there are problems in the state unit of the party, Partap Singh Bajwa said; ``I will be talking to all the leaders of the party and try to resolve all the misgivings and resolve all the problems. There is nothing which cannot be sorted out. I am in touch with everyone, and all of them are my friends and colleagues. I had a one to one 45 meeting with Bhagel and discussed all the challenges which we might face in the future and about all the regions of the state. Bhagel told me if any leaders have grievances bring them to him all these will be solved,’’ he said.
Bajwa said that as he is the senior most leader of the party in the state he will try to solve the misgivings of the leaders of the party. `` I am trying to sort out this matter as soon as possible and in coming five days I expect this issue and all other issues will be resolved. After that also any leader wants to meet party high command, those meetings also will be facilitated,’’ he said.
Sources said leaders opposed to Warring are now attempting to get united on a common platform to press for a change in the state party leadership. Channi has reportedly been authorized by several of them to raise their concerns before the Congress high command.