The internal crisis within the Punjab Congress has intensified, with senior party leaders openly opposing the continuation of Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and boycotting a meeting convened by All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary and Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel as just hours before Baghel's arrival in Punjab, a group of senior Congress leaders gathered in Mohali under the leadership of former Punjab Chief Minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi and according to reports, the leaders decided to openly oppose Warring's continuation as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief, soon after the meeting, several leaders shared a group photograph on their social media accounts, signalling unity within the camp.
Instead of attending the official meeting called by Baghel, Channi met his supporting MPs, MLAs and former legislators in Mohali andeports said the decision to boycott Baghel's meeting was taken during this gathering and Channi later left for Delhi, where he is expected to meet the Congress high command following this in a social media post, Channi said the Mohali meeting was a continuation of an earlier meeting held at his residence in Morinda and according to party leaders, this was the second public show of dissatisfaction against Warring within a span of a few days. The first took place during the Morinda meeting last week.
The Punjab Congress also shared photographs of the Mohali meeting on its official social media handles, describing it as a discussion among heads of the party's election committees on strengthening the organisation ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, later, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also posted photographs from the same meeting on his social media accounts however, Warring was not seen in the group photograph, further fuelling speculation about divisions within the state unit.
Speaking to the media, Warring rejected suggestions that the meeting represented a rival camp and he said the earlier Morinda meeting was not organised against anyone and that leaders had gathered to welcome Channi after he was appointed Chairman of the Campaign Committee, Warring also maintained that both the Morinda and Mohali meetings were aimed at strengthening the Congress and expressed confidence that all party leaders would soon be seen together but despite Warring's remarks, reports indicate that differences within the party have continued to widen.
According to claims made by Channi's camp, the former Chief Minister has the support of MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, six MLAs and newly appointed Working President Sangat Singh Gilzian while on the other hand, Warring has publicly received support from MP Dr. Amar Singh, while no MLA has openly declared support for him and these support claims have not been officially verified by the Congress leadership.
Senior Congress leaders, including Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Partap Singh Bajwa, Charanjit Singh Channi and Pargat Singh, have reportedly held a series of meetings over the past two days to build a united front against Warring's continuation as PPCC chief and according to party sources quoted in media reports, leaders opposing Warring are prepared to accept any leader as the next Punjab Congress chief except Warring, they have reportedly authorised Channi to present their concerns before the Congress high command in Delhi.
Reports also suggest that the leaders opposing Warring decided to boycott Baghel's meeting with senior party functionaries, while leaders supporting Warring were expected to attend and both camps have reportedly been reaching out to party leaders over the past few days in an effort to consolidate support.
After arriving in Punjab, Bhupesh Baghel visited the residence of Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, who has largely remained silent during the ongoing leadership dispute and reports also stated that supporters of Channi did not receive Baghel on his arrival, further highlighting the strained relations between the two camps. The Congress high command has deputed Baghel to Punjab for a five-day visit with the aim of resolving the growing factionalism within the state unit ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections and during his stay, Baghel is expected to hold separate meetings with leaders from both factions and gather their views before reporting to the party leadership but so far, the Congress high command has not announced any decision regarding a change in the Punjab Congress leadership however, the latest developments have brought the internal power struggle into the open, with both camps attempting to strengthen their positions while the central leadership works to restore unity within the party.