Ludhiana witnessed high drama during a Congress workers' meeting organised by Punjab Congress President Amarinder Raja Warring in his own Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday and the meeting was marked by sloganeering, heated exchanges, and visible factionalism within the state unit of the party.
The tension began even before the meeting started, when a group of Congress supporters arrived wearing T-shirts carrying the photograph of General Dyer alongside AICC Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel, with the slogan "Baghel Go Back." The T-shirts were displayed outside the venue as workers protested against the party's Punjab in-charge.
Bhupesh Baghel and Amarinder Raja Warring reached Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan at around 11:45 am, and just as Warring entered the venue, supporters raised slogans in his favour. Warring stopped them and asked workers to raise slogans of "Congress Zindabad" instead of praising any individual leader.
The situation escalated after former MLA Simarjit Singh Bains addressed the gathering, while his supporters raised slogans in his favour, Bains made a gesture implying that bangles should be put on someone, a gesture commonly used to question a person's courage. The gesture angered supporters of former Punjab minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who immediately started raising slogans.
Supporters of both groups then engaged in a heated verbal confrontation inside the hall, Warring tried to calm the situation, but the argument continued and during the exchange, Warring referred to the protesting group as "RSS stooges" and asked them to leave the venue while slogans continued.
Ashu's supporters alleged that Warring himself provoked them through his gestures. Warring, however, criticised the group and said a person who once controlled the entire Ludhiana Congress organisation was responsible for the party losing all six Assembly seats in the district, he also said that the same leader had earlier decided appointments of mayors and chairpersons. Warring added that a complete report of the incident would be sent to the Congress high command.
Following the confrontation, Ashu's supporters walked out of the meeting and continued raising slogans against Raja Warring and Bhupesh Baghel outside the venue. The meeting resumed only after the protesting workers had left.
The incident comes amid an ongoing leadership struggle within the Punjab Congress and according to party sources, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and his supporters had wanted Raja Warring to be replaced as the Punjab Congress president before the 2027 Assembly elections, however, the party high command did not make any change in the leadership.
Since then, differences between the two camps have become increasingly visible. Channi's supporters want his role within the party to expand, while Raja Warring continues to lead the state unit and the rivalry has resulted in repeated public protests and sloganeering by supporters from both sides.
Bhupesh Baghel has also warned against indiscipline within the party and he recently said that action could be taken against those trying to weaken the Congress from within and indirectly referred to the presence of "sleeper cells."
In the days leading up to the meeting, posters showing Bhupesh Baghel in a General Dyer-style uniform with the slogan "Baghel Go Back" appeared in parts of the Malwa regio and posters showing former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in RSS-style attire were also put up, with allegations that he was attempting to disrupt Congress programmes at the BJP's behest.
The incident has once again highlighted the growing factionalism within the Punjab Congress ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
