Senior Punjab Congress leaders, including Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Pargat Singh, and Sangat Singh Gilzian, met in Mohali on Monday to oppose the continuation of Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief. The meeting, described as “secret,” took place hours before AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab Bhupesh Baghel arrived in Chandigarh to defuse growing factionalism over the PPCC reshuffle.
Anti-Warring Camp Strengthens Resolve
This was the second meeting of the anti-Warring camp, following an initial gathering at Channi’s residence in Morinda on Friday. At the Mohali meeting, leaders unanimously decided to abstain from events organized by Warring and to skip Baghel’s meetings as a mark of protest. “Everyone decided that they would continue to fight against Warring while remaining in the party. No one is leaving the Congress. More such meetings will be held in the coming days to bring the remaining leaders on board,” a senior leader said on condition of anonymity.
Adding to the tension, former MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur, who has openly sided with Channi, was issued a notice for anti-party activities by senior Congress leader and chairman of the PPCC’s disciplinary committee, Avtar Henry.
Baghel’s Mediation Attempt
Baghel, on a five-day visit, said he would chair meetings of various election-related committees. “I will be meeting members of the committees, district Congress presidents and Youth Congress leaders,” he said. He avoided questions on the growing factionalism, stating he had just arrived in Chandigarh. The disgruntled leaders’ decision to boycott Baghel’s meetings complicates his mediation efforts.
Officially, leaders remained tight-lipped, describing Monday’s meeting as a continuation of the Morinda meeting. The Punjab Congress shared photographs of the gathering on social media, calling it a meeting of heads of election committees to discuss strengthening the organization.
Warring’s Response
In response, Warring also shared photographs of the same meeting on his social media accounts but was conspicuously absent from the group photograph, fueling speculation over dissent. Warring described it as a meeting to discuss the party’s strategy for the Punjab Assembly elections, asserting it was “not a meeting of any camp.” He said, “Channi has only shared his photograph and mentioned that the meeting was a continuation of the earlier meeting held in Morinda. That meeting was not against anyone. As our senior leader Channi has been appointed chairman of the campaign committee, many leaders went there to welcome and meet him.” He added, “Within the next couple of days, you will see all Congress leaders together on one platform.”
Impact on Party Unity
The widening rift poses a challenge for the Congress high command as it attempts to project unity ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections. The anti-Warring camp’s boycott threatens to disrupt organizational activities and could weaken the party’s electoral prospects. Baghel’s five-day visit is seen as a critical window to reconcile the factions, but the leaders’ decision to skip his meetings indicates deep-seated discontent.
