New Delhi/Chandigarh: With the rift of the Punjab Congress appears to be intensifying as a group of senior leaders, including former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, held a separate meeting and decided to put a demand before the high command for the removal of Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as the state Congress chief and would be meeting in-charge Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday.
According to sources, Randhawa, Rana Gurjit Singh, Pargat Singh, Channi, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Birendra Singh Dhillon, and several other senior leaders met at Rana Gurjit Singh’s residence to discuss the growing discontent within the party over the July 1 decision to retain Warring as state unit chief.
The source said that during the meeting of the faction of Channi and Randhawa, it was decided that the group would meet in-charge Baghel on Saturday and officially present their views to him.
Earlier, the meeting of the Channi group faction with Baghel was supposed to be held on July 10.
The source said that the meeting of the group with Baghel will take place at a neutral venue.
The party source said that the dissident camp led by Channi is not willing to settle for any compromise and is united on a single demand that Warring must be removed as state unit chief.
The source said that the leaders in Channi camp have conveyed their messAge to the party leadership that under Warring, the Congress would not be able to give a good show in the next Assembly elections and that the grand old party’s hope of making a return to power in Punjab under his leadership will fall.
The source said that the group has also told the party that it has no option but to replace him if it wants to rebuild its prospects in the state.
It is worth to mention that the Congress in 2022 assembly polls lost power to AAP in 117 member assembly and could manage to win only 17 seats.
Meanwhile, Baghel, who arrived in Punjab on Monday had maintained that appointing or removing the president is not gudda gudia ka khel (child’s plAy).
The source said that Baghel has been camping in Chandigarh to meet all sections of the party leadership and hear everyone out.
Baghel has also sent out clear message to The dissident camp for meeting, the source said, adding that the former Chief Minister has done his art and now the ball is in the Channi’s camp leader to meet and sort out the situation.
Meanwhile, the Channi-Randhawa camp in the last three days have stayed away from all Punjab Congress programmes where Warring is present in his capacity as the state party chief.
The move is being seen as an open expression of displeasure over the high command’s decision to continue with the existing leadership.
Sources said the Channi-led faction has also escalated the matter to the Congress high command.
Earlier this week, on Monday itself former Punjab minister and MLA Pargat Singh, along with several other legislators, had arrived in Delhi to convey the group’s concerns directly to the party leadership.
The source further stated that the way in which the Channi camp tried to bypass state-level mediation and directly approach the party’s central leadership has not gone down well with the leadership.
The source also said that this is the third instance of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s decision being opposed by the leaders in the last two years.
The source said that the decision on Punjab was taken after the party leadership including Rahul Gandhi took the decision after eight rounds of parleys with the state leaders and senior party leaders.
The source said that the earlier two instances were during the Central election committee (CEC) meeting during the 2024 Haryana Assembly polls, when Rahul Gandhi had asked the leaders about the possible alliance with the state leaders. At that time also, the source said that his commands were not followed and it resulted in AAP announcing its candidates.
The source said that the way in which the decision of Rahul Gandhi has been opposed is being also seen as his waning command over the party and in coming days some steps can be taken to ensure the authority of the high command.