CHANDIGARH: Amid continuing factionalism in the Punjab Congress, Sachin Pilot will visit the State for the first time on September 15 after taking over as the general secretary in charge of the state unit.
He will participate in a major protest that will focus on the demand for justice for 47-year-old Gulzar Singh, a Dalit daily wager who died by suicide.
Former Member of Parliament Vijayinder Singla said that the ‘Main Bhi Gulzar’ campaign aims to urge the government to take action against whosoever is involved in Gulzar’s death.
"We have launched the campaign in solidarity with the victim’s family. We have requested everyone in Sangrur and other parts of Punjab to join this initiative by putting up the ‘Main Bhi Gulzar’ display picture on their social media handles and help us amplify the family’s voice against injustice and stand in solidarity with them,” he said.
Singla added that the victim’s family had alleged that they were forced by the district administration and the Sangrur police to cremate Gulzar without ensuring family traditions.
Meanwhile, the AAP has accused the BJP, Congress and SAD of their alleged attempt to exploit a tragic death for political gains, asserting that the bereaved family must be allowed to grieve with dignity.
In the demonstration, Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh, Raja Warring, Leader of the Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa, Former Chief Minister and MP from Jalandhar, Charanjit Singh Channi, Former Deputy Chief Minister and MP from Gurdaspur, all other MPs, sitting and ex-MLAs and other party leaders will take part.
The party plans to march towards the official residence of state finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema in Sector 3, demanding that he be booked for abetment of suicide in this case and arrested. They are also demanding his dismissal from the Bhagwant Mann-led cabinet.
However, it is highly probable that the Chandigarh Police is expected to stop the Congress leadership in front of the Punjab Congress Bhawan in Sector 15 and not allow them to move forward, as has been the case in past protests.
Meanwhile, Pilot has clarified that the grand old party will not project a chief ministerial candidate before the 2027 Assembly elections.
Pilot is expected to come by road from Delhi, but his official schedule has not yet been made public.
Till date, the rival camps led by Channi and Warring had continued to hold separate protests, meetings and outreach programmes, underlining the lack of cohesion within the state unit.
Warring had been saying that party leaders would soon come together on a common platform to take on their political rivals, while Channi welcomed the appointment of Pilot.
The Congress high command had replaced Bhupesh Baghel with Pilot in an apparent bid to ease tensions between the Channi and Warring camps.
While both factions publicly welcomed the move, their actions on the ground indicate that differences remain unresolved. Pilot said that the Congress would contest the polls under a collective leadership model, with Rahul Gandhi leading the campaign.
The statement, "No announcement on CM candidate until party secures majority in Assembly elections", comes at a time when supporters of former CM Channi are demanding that he be declared the chief ministerial face of the party for the 2027 elections.
If at all the Congress sticks to this stance, it would mark a departure from its earlier stance in the previous assembly elections, as the party had projected Capt Amarinder Singh as its chief ministerial candidate in 2012 and 2017, while in 2022 it went to the polls with then chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi as its CM face.