Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Congress high command to address the grievances of party workers and leaders in the state, following a meeting at his residence in Morinda on Friday. The gathering, which included nearly two dozen former and sitting Congress legislators, several former ministers, and hundreds of party workers, is being viewed as the first organised display of resentment against the leadership's recent organisational appointments ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Show of Strength at Channi's Residence
The meeting, which concluded around 3 pm, underscored widespread discontent within the Punjab Congress unit. The leadership had retained Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), a decision that disappointed a large section of party workers and leaders who had expected Channi to be entrusted with the responsibility. According to sources, the leaders present authorised Channi to decide the future course of action on behalf of the group.
Around 23 former and sitting MLAs, four former ministers, and several senior district-level leaders attended the meeting. Notable attendees included former ministers Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Rana Gurjeet Singh, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, and OP Soni, as well as former legislators Mohammad Sadique, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Tarsem Singh Attari, and Harminder Singh Gill. Balkaur Singh, father of slain singer Sidhu Moosewala, was also present. However, senior Congress leaders Pargat Singh, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, and former Speaker KP Rana did not attend.
Committee Formed to Engage High Command
After hours of deliberations, the leaders decided to form a committee to take up the concerns of Punjab Congress workers with the party high command. Former Punjab Youth Congress president Barinder Singh Dhillon said, "The feelings of party workers have not been reflected in the recent decisions. The committee will ensure these concerns are conveyed to the high command." The leaders gave the high command one week to resolve the issues.
Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa maintained that there was no confrontation with the Congress high command but emphasised the need for the leadership to understand the prevailing sentiment in Punjab. "Many Congress leaders in Punjab are unhappy. We have decided to seek time from the party high command so that the actual situation in the state can be placed before it. We have no fight with the high command," Bajwa said.
Demand for Channi as PPCC Chief
Former MLA Harminder Singh Gill argued that the Congress leadership should have respected the sentiments of Punjab leaders before finalising key organisational appointments. Several leaders present at the meeting contended that Channi remains one of the party's strongest mass leaders and that appointing him as PPCC president would have energised the cadre ahead of the Assembly elections. They highlighted his grass-roots connect and experience as Chief Minister as making him the natural choice to lead the organisation.
Although Channi refrained from making any public statement on the controversy, his silence only fuelled speculation over his future political strategy. The developments have exposed visible fault lines within the Punjab Congress at a time when the party is attempting to project unity and rebuild its organisation before the elections. The formation of a committee to engage with the high command suggests that the dissenting leaders are, for now, seeking dialogue rather than confrontation. However, the show of strength at Channi's residence has unmistakably underlined that a significant section of the party remains dissatisfied with the recent organisational appointments and wants the leadership to revisit its decisions before the election campaign gathers momentum.
