A high-stakes meeting between disgruntled Punjab Congress leaders, led by former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, and AICC state in-charge Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday ended without any immediate resolution to the deepening leadership crisis, leaving the matter for the party high command to decide.
Show of Strength by Anti-Warring Camp
The meeting came days after the high command retained Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as the Punjab unit president and appointed Channi as chairman of the campaign committee. Warring was not part of the meeting, which was held as the party gears up for the 2027 Assembly elections.
As many as 92 leaders, including sitting and former MLAs who are opposed to Warring being retained as the president, attended the meeting at the Chandigarh residence of Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh. They conveyed to Baghel that while they had no personal enmity with Warring, the party “could not return to power if a compromised leader was in the saddle”.
Prominent Dissidents Present
Prominent among those present were Channi, Partap Singh Bajwa, Rana Gurjeet, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Aruna Chaudhary, OP Soni, Pargat Singh, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Bharat Bhushan Ashu. Before the closed-door meeting that lasted several hours, Channi put out a cryptic post on social media: “Wait and watch which way the wind blows.” The dissidents expressed strong reservations over the current state leadership, with some alleging that Warring’s continuation could adversely impact the Congress prospects in the run-up to the elections.
Warring skipped the meeting, saying that “his absence would allow the dissenting voices to speak freely without any discomfort”.
Demand to Replace Warring
Sources said most of the leaders at the meeting supported the demand to replace Warring. They are also learnt to have provided details on how Warring had allegedly created divisions among party leaders across the state. Channi reportedly said he had no personal ambitions to become the state president and only wanted to bring the party back to power.
The gathering, which served as a show of strength by the anti-Warring camp, reflected simmering discontent within the party. Interestingly, several of the leaders who had previously attended dinners hosted by Warring’s supporters were also present at the meeting, sending a clear message to the party high command.
Baghel’s Role and Response
Party leader Barinder Dhillon said, “Name one leader who is missing. The entire Congress is here.”
Baghel, tasked by the Congress to defuse the crisis, patiently heard the grievances aired by the Channi faction. However, he made it clear that altering the leadership decision was beyond his domain. “Changing the decision is not in his hands, but he promised to convey the concerns and sentiments of the dissidents to the high command. He also advised the leaders not to play out their differences in the media,” sources familiar with the meeting said.
Baghel’s Statement to Media
Talking to the media after the meeting, Baghel said, “I met and spoke to all leaders. They expressed their views and raised some issues, which I will raise with the high command. No one is upset with the high command’s decision. I assured them of taking care of everyone’s interests. Nobody should suffer only because they don’t have the support of some big leader. If any candidate has the capability to win, they will definitely get the ticket.” He also claimed the issue of replacing Warring wasn’t discussed.
Randhawa’s Remarks
After the meeting, Sukhjinder Randhawa said, “We had a productive dialogue wherein it was acknowledged that at times, the party must reverse certain decisions…. We want a Congress government in Punjab so that issues such as poor law and order situation and corruption can be addressed. To achieve this, we need unity within the party. But we also need leaders who can speak boldly and decisively. We do not need compromised leaders.”
