The differences within the Punjab Congress have once again come into the open, with tensions between supporters of former Punjab Chief Minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi and Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring becoming more visible and the latest developments took place during a Congress programme at Guru Nanak Bhawan in Ludhiana on Thursday.
Supporters of different Congress leaders raised slogans during the event, leading to heated exchanges between the two groups, and reportedly a major physical clash was reportedly avoided as the situation became tense.
Against this backdrop, Raja Warring spoke about the criticism he has been facing and questioned what he had done wrong and in his remarks, Warring said, “What is my fault?” He then spoke about his work as Punjab Congress president and said he had remained active with the party instead of spending long periods outside the country or going on vacations.
Warring said he had not gone to London for four-and-a-half years and had not stayed in America, he also said that since becoming the Punjab Congress president, he had not gone on a vacation even for eight days.
Warring also referred to his busy schedule and said he continued attending party and public programmes despite having little time for himself and also mentioned an occasion when he went to the Christian Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana and then had to attend a wedding programme. He said that because he was already late, he told the programme organiser to continue and that he would reach the event quickly.
His remarks came at a time when the Congress state unit is facing an open leadership dispute involving Warring and Channi, while the Congress high command recently retained Warring as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president while giving Channi a prominent role in the party’s organisational structure. Channi was appointed chairman of the Congress Campaign Committee for Punjab and decision was followed by demands from a section of Congress leaders supporting Channi for a change in the state party leadership.
The disagreement has not remained limited to closed-door meetings. In July, several Punjab Congress leaders publicly backed Channi, with some leaders sharing a photograph with him and using the slogan “Saara Punjab Channi Naal” and at the same time, the Congress high command continued to support Warring as the state party president.
The latest dispute in Ludhiana involved supporters of Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who is associated with the Channi camp, and supporters aligned with Warring and according to reports, Ashu supporters, including Sunny Bhalla, Pankaj Sharma Kaka, Inderjit Indi and Ishwarjot Cheema, occupied the front rows at the programme.
When Warring and other leaders reached the stage, slogans supporting Bharat Bhushan Ashu were raised by his supporters and in response, slogans including “RSS workers bahar jao” were raised by the other side. The exchange created tension inside the venue.
Ishwarjot Cheema, a close aide of Ashu, later said that Ashu supporters had not raised slogans against Bhupesh Baghel or Warring and alleged that the situation became tense after Warring also joined the slogan-raising and he said supporters from both sides lost their tempers but decided to leave the venue before the situation became worse.
The dispute between Channi and Warring has been developing for several weeks, as Channi’s camp has raised concerns about Warring’s leadership and has sought a change in the state Congress president. Congress leaders from the Channi camp had also met Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel to put forward their concerns, Warring, however, has continued to hold the state Congress president’s post and he has previously rejected reports of a serious rift and said that senior leaders were working towards bringing Congress back to power in Punjab in the 2027 Assembly elections.
He had also described Channi as a “crown on Congress’s head” while saying that Channi or any other leader could be considered as the party’s chief ministerial face for the next election and the latest remarks show Warring focusing on his work and his availability to the party. While speaking about his routine, he said he had not taken long breaks or spent extended periods abroad since taking charge of the state unit.
The developments come less than a year before the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, making the leadership issue within the state Congress increasingly important for the party, but for now, Warring continues as Punjab Congress president, while Channi and his supporters continue to raise concerns about the direction and leadership of the state unit.
